Bonds of the Beloved
by EmblemQueen
Summary: Twelve years of peace and raising a family have done wonders for a certain blonde Caelin-born knight. Sain is happy with his wife and children and best friend, despite having moved far from his homeland. ...But is their bond strong enough? SainxFiora, HectorxLyn, EliwoodxNinian, DartxFarina, one-sided KentxLyn, hinted KentxFlorina. FUTURE REVISIONS POSSIBLE.
1. Sain's Reflection

**Author's Note: Yup, I thought it was about time I wrote an FE fic that's not set in the Tellius games! I love Sain to bits, and he's my favorite GBA FE character, so of course I'm writing about him! This story won't be anywhere near as long as Dawn of Darkness, but it will be somewhat longer than the short stories in the DoD short story collection, so don't worry about this just being "another short story." Also, as the description says, this fic is subject to get revisions, meaning my co-author, Falchion1984, has yet to get his hands on this, but might in the future, so check back for updates! For now, just enjoy. :D**

Bonds of the Beloved

Chapter 1: Sain's Reflection

"Dad, Dad! Wait, can I wear a headband like you too?" a boy with somewhat unruly bluish-green hair and green eyes asked his father as the two exited their home through the back door. They stepped into scattered piles of sparkling white snow, bundled in coats and thick pants and shirts.

"You know, I thought you might ask that," a man in his thirties with dirty blonde hair and the same green eyes as his son replied, shooting the boy a smile. He then produced from the bag he was carrying a brown headband exactly like the one he wore, only smaller.

"Yeah, awesome!" the boy cheered, jumping up and down. "Now I'll be just like you! Thanks!"

"Heh, you're welcome, kiddo," the man said as he handed his son the headband. The boy put it on immediately, a large grin donning his face. The father merely chuckled happily.

"It suits you," he commented. "Now, Nick, your mother made that, so be sure to thank her."

"Oh, she did? Okay then, I will!" Nick promised. "Now let's get started! I want to learn to use a lance just like you!"

"Well, that's good, but let's start with swords."

"Aw, but Dad, you're the Green Lance! I wanna be great like that!"

"That's true, but swords are easier to work with. They're almost always lighter and they're not as difficult to carry around. But tell you what, I'll also teach you to use a lance after you get the hang of a sword. That sound good to you, sport?"

"Ah, alright then! I still want to be just like you when I grow up, though!"

"Heh, that's my boy."

_Though, I rather doubt he'd benefit much from the bad habits I had at least twelve years ago,_ the man thought to himself with slight abashment, remembering his large interest in women and how he would constantly make advances on any that he thought were attractive. _But hey, that doesn't mean I can't teach my son about girls later too! And, I did learn the right way to win 'em. Or else I wouldn't be married to my lovely wife. I just hope she doesn't mind, hehe…_

A lopsided smile formed on the man's face. Nick soon interrupted his thoughts, however.

"Hey, Dad, don't worry! Mom told me all about how you used to go after all the pretty ladies!" he replied, as if to read his father's mind. The man soon froze where he stood.

"…Wait, what?" he said. "She did?"

"Yep! Mom said she could tell Emily and I stories. And she did too. You were so funny!"

The man simply brought his hands to his hips.

"Oh, that mother of yours. But she told your sister too, eh?" he replied.

"Uh huh. But she also said that there was way more to you than that. A different side of you that is so worth looking up to!"

"Ahh… Really?" the man wondered, a boyish grin forming on his face.

"Yeah, but it took her a long time to realize it."

At this, the man deflated.

"Eh…eh heh," he replied, even more abashed than before. "Yeah, it sure did, didn't it?"

"That's what she said! Well, are we gonna get started or not?"

"Ah, yes, of course we are. Here, I've got a couple of wooden practice swords in this bag."

"Yay! Hey, Dad, just one more thing though."

"Yeah? What's on your mind?"

"Would you…teach me about girls when I'm a little older anyway? Kent said you'd know anything there is to know about them!"

"Really? He did?"

"Yep! He told me when we last visited him!"

"Huh. I wouldn't have expected that from him of all people. I always thought he just saw me as a hopeless idiot when it came to women. But, if Kent thinks so, of course I'll teach you!"

"Yeah!" Nick cheered again, jumping once more.

_Hehe, now nobody can stop me if I want to educate our boy on the fine subject of females! _The man thought joyously. _Sain the Expert on Women shall do his stuff! But of course, my son's combat training comes first._

"Okay, you remember how Kent and I hold swords, right?" Sain said as he handed Nick the smaller of the two wooden swords that he had produced from his bag.

"Yeah, I watched you two spar all the time, remember?" Nick replied, taking the sword and gripping it eagerly by its handle.

"Yep, that you did! Good job! Firstly, though, you remember everything I've taught you about adventuring in the great outdoors, right?"

"Yep! You told me about a bunch of plants I should stay away from while we hiked here and in Caelin and you showed me how to climb trees, some basic tracking skills that you picked up from Lady Lyndis, and all the other stuff! I also remember that you said that snow drowns out sound, so around here I need to scream really loud if I'm by myself and really need help."

"Excellent! You're a fast learner! Now let's do some basic swings first."

"Okay! From what I remember seeing in yours and Kent's spars, those are up and down, left and right, and diagonally, right?"

"Right again! I bet you're going to be a natural at this! Just watch me and do exactly as I do."

"Right!"

With that, Sain began swinging his wooden sword horizontally, and Nick followed suit. He did his best to imitate his father perfectly and swung his smaller sword in a horizontal line. Some of his swings were rather sloppy, but after Sain corrected his son's errors, Nick was able to get the hang of it. As they practiced, a woman with blue eyes and the same bluish green hair as Nick's stepped outside and stood at the back door, also wearing a coat and thick clothes. She remained there with a smile on her face, watching Sain and Nick as they continued practicing horizontal sword swings, and then moved on to vertical, and later, diagonal swings. Nick still made an erroneous swing on occasion, but over time, these numbered fewer, and the boy could imitate his father nearly perfectly. Diagonal swings proved to be the most difficult for him, but Sain assured his son that with practice, he would master them.

After some time, Sain decided to let Nick spar a bit with him, to see how he would handle going against an opponent. Of course, he would go easy on the boy since it was his first time.

"Alright, now when you face an opponent, you have to watch their every move and stay focused," Sain explained. "You always have to keep your guard up as well. Whomever you're against could be unpredictable, so you must be the same. Especially if you know absolutely nothing about whom you're battling."

"Ah, okay! That makes sense. But spars can be fun too, right? Cause they're just friendly matches?"

"Yep, that's also true. Kent and I always have some fun in our spars. It's a great way to both train and have a good time!"

"Wow, cool! Then let's get started!"

"Heh, alright then, I'm gonna get you!"

"Not if I get you first, Dad! Haha!"

The two then began clashing their wooden swords with one another. The woman merely continued watching silently, chuckling quietly every now and then at the pair's maneuvers. Nick occasionally swung so hard that he tripped and fell over, while Sain would sometimes pretend to be wounded whenever his son managed to hit him, and clutch his gut or arm. Nick realized that his father had been more than right when he said that sparring was not only good for training, but also good for fun. The boy hadn't had so much fun in a long time, though sometimes it was difficult to do so in the cold weather that plagued their country of Ilia year-round. Every month there was at least some snow on the ground, even during the summer. But somehow, Nick, Sain, and the rest of their family would find ways to have a good time anyway, such as making snow angels or having snowball fights.

"Whoa! Say, you're getting better already!" Sain observed as Nick came practically within a hair of getting his father right in the middle of his backside.

"Cause my dad's the best there is!" Nick replied, childishly hefting his wooden sword. "Well, except maybe for Kent."

"Aw, what?"

"Haha, I mean you're both the best!"

"Now that's more like it. C'mere you!"

Sain then grabbed his son by the torso and planted his fist on Nick's head, quickly rubbing it back and forth in a noogie. The woman at the door giggled harder this time, but neither Sain nor Nick heard her still.

"Hey! Dad! Hahaha, cut it out! That's not part of training!"

"Yeah, I know, I just wanted to have a bit of non-training fun with you," Sain replied with a big grin as he released Nick.

"Haha, figures! I'm getting kinda pooped out anyway."

"Well, we have been swinging wooden swords around for a good while now, haven't we? But before we end today's training session, I've got one more piece of advice for you."

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget that some techniques you can learn could also impress the ladies!"

"Ooh, I knew you'd say that!"

"Hee hee, some things never change, do they?" a familiar feminine voice spoke up. The woman that had been standing at the door finally made herself known and approached Sain and Nick.

"Huh?! Fiora!" Sain realized with a jump.

"Mom! Where'd you come from?" Nick wondered, also a bit startled.

"Were you watching us this whole time?" Sain added.

"Haha, not the entire time, but I did see most of it," Fiora admitted with a chuckle. "It was very enjoyable, don't worry."

"Ah, I see…"

"I just hope you don't end up turning our son into Womanizer Sain the Second."

"O-Oh, of course not, my sweet!" Sain assured. " …Wait, you heard that conversation too?"

"Huh? What conversation?"

Sain's eyes widened with disbelief at what he'd just revealed.

"…Oh, um…er…"

"Sain, what did you say to him?" Fiora inquired in an almost demanding tone, bringing her hands to her hips.

"Okay, okay, I said I'd teach him about girls when he's older, but he asked me to! I swear!" Sain replied, raising his hands defensively.

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, Dad's not joking, Mom. I did ask! And Dad said he would!" Nick confirmed. "I'm gonna be a ladies man _and_ a knight when I grow up!"

"I see. Well, just so long as you don't embarrass yourself like your father did, you can go ahead with that," Fiora replied.

"Aw, do you have to put it _that_ way?" Sain grumbled.

"Yes. Yes, I do," Fiora replied with a teasing grin.

"Don't worry, you told me all about that. I know," Nick assured.

"Okay. But just what did your father put in your head?" Fiora wondered.

"Oh, it wasn't anything he said. It was what you said!"

"…Wait, what? What do you mean what I said?"

Sain snickered with delight.

"Weeeeell. And you believed _I_ was filling his head with crazy ideas!" he chuckled, only to be playfully elbowed in the gut by Fiora. "Ouch… Hehe…"

Nick laughed before continuing.

"Anyway, I mean that story about how Dad won your heart, Mom," he said. "And then when Emily insisted on hearing about when you got married and stuff."

"Ah… Now I see," Fiora replied, a grin crossing her face. "_That_ is an idea worth having, then. Your father still needs to mind himself, however."

Fiora eyed her husband.

"Yes, yes, I will do so. I've changed since then, remember?" Sain pointed out. "Even though I still enjoy showing off a bit, admittedly, hehe…"

"I know, I'm just reminding you. Now, I had originally come out here to ask if you two were getting hungry. It is around dinner time, after all."

"Ah, now that you mention it, my stomach has started growling," Sain replied.

"Yeah, mine too! All that practice made me hungry for sure!" Nick added.

"Well then, let's go inside and I'll start dinner. Emily is probably getting lonesome anyway."

"Oh, yeah, she's in there by herself, isn't she? Let's go!" Sain agreed.

With that, the trio returned inside the house, warmed by the fire going in the fireplace. It was a simple, cozy home, affordable by any group of mercenaries like Sain and his family. The back door led into the small kitchen and dining area, and from there, a door led into the living room. A staircase next to the living room led to three bedrooms upstairs, one of which was Sain and Fiora's, and the other, smaller two belonged to Nick and Emily. Just seconds after they had entered the kitchen from outside, however, a little girl with blonde, braided pigtails and blue eyes came running towards Sain through the living room. She was carrying a small scroll in her hands.

"Daddy!" she cried, jumping into her father's torso.

"Oof! Emily, there you are," Sain replied, taking his daughter into his arms and picking her up. "Sorry for leaving you in here by yourself, sweetie."

"Oh, don't worry! I was just fine," Emily replied with a smile. "I'm just glad to see everyone!"

"Heh. So, what's that you got there?" Sain wondered, noting the scroll.

"Ah, right! A messenger came by while you guys were outside! He had a letter for us! It's from Kent! He's gonna come see us!"

"Really? He is?"

"Yeah, look and see! I couldn't read all of it though, cause I'm not that good at it yet."

Emily then held the scroll out to her father in a childish fashion. Sain took it and unrolled it, curious about what it said and why Kent would travel to Ilia to see his friends when they could all meet in a much warmer place. He immediately began to read.

_Sain, Fiora, and the kids,_

_ Hey, it's Kent. Guess what? After a lot of tough jobs in Caelin, Lord Hector decided I deserved some time off, so he gave me a few weeks to do whatever. It's been awhile since our last meeting, and you all always come down here, so I've decided to come up to Ilia and see all of you for a change, and this time, I'll have a lot more time to spend with you guys! I'm going to drop by Pherae first for Lord Hector, though, to see how Lord Eliwood is doing. It's been a few years since Lady Ninian passed away, but knowing him, I can imagine that he and young Master Roy are still not quite over it. Oh, and also, I spoke to Lord Hector about my plans, and he said that since Ilia is pretty far from either Ostia, Caelin, or Pherae, however long it takes me to get there won't be counted in my vacation days! My break starts as soon as I arrive! Isn't that great? If you got this letter, I should be at your place the next day. Well, I'll see you soon!_

_ Your good friend,_

_ Kent_

"Huh, so he is coming up," Sain confirmed. "And he says he should be here tomorrow!"

"Oh wow, that's wonderful!" Fiora chimed excitedly. "We haven't seen Kent in months. He just has so many responsibilities as steward of Caelin and commander of the knights there."

"Indeed. He must've worked real hard to earn all this time off."

"Wow, Kent's gonna visit us? I can't wait!" Nick blurted, jumping up and down.

"I'm excited too, but I'm a little worried about how he'll handle the weather here," Sain replied. "Remember how long it took me to get used to it? Kent's never even been here before."

"Oh, good point…" Fiora realized, bringing a hand to her chin. "But we'll help him as much as we can. After all, he's willing to take the risk just to visit us."

"Yeah, that's true. We'll make it totally worth it for him. Oh, but before I forget, Kent also says that he visited Pherae first, for Lord Hector. He went to see how Lord Eliwood is."

"Ah, that's so nice of him. Lord Eliwood hasn't been the happiest Marquess lately, as we all know. Same with young Roy, ever since Lady Ninian died."

"Yeah, it was saddening for many people. But at least we knew it was coming. Nils had warned us as much about Elibe's air not being able to sustain them for long, after all."

"I agree. It would've been so much harder had it been sudden and unexpected. But it wasn't, and Lord Eliwood and Roy have so many friends to help them through it."

"Indeed, they do."

"Yeah, it's so sad, but we know they can cope!" Nick added in support. "And I bet Lady Ninian is still watching over them from the sky!"

"That's right! They can do it! Lots of people still love them!" Emily seconded.

"That _is_ quite true," Fiora confirmed with a smile. "I'm so glad to hear you both say that. Now, I was thinking of cooking some chicken and rice tonight. How does that sound?"

"Ah, sounds great!" Sain replied. "And it ought to be, if it's being made by your soft, lovely hands!"

"Sain," Fiora opined, folding her arms.

"Aw, come on, I can't even flatter you just a little sometimes for old times' sake?"

Nick and Emily merely giggled at their parents.

"Not in front of the children, at least," Fiora insisted, and then smiled. "Save it for later."

"Heh, fair enough."

Later that evening and sometime after they ate the meal Fiora prepared, Sain and his wife tucked their children into bed, retreating to their own bedroom soon after. The couple changed into their night clothes, though they didn't immediately go to bed following. As Fiora grabbed a hairbrush and stood in front of the mirror, Sain plopped onto their queen-sized bed and simply relaxed in the loose brown pants and white undershirt he was wearing. He brought one arm above his head onto his pillow while the other rested at his side. His gaze moved to his wife as she ran her brush through her long, bluish-green hair and wore a light blue spaghetti-strap night gown that reached to her knees. As Sain thought of her, he also thought of his children, whom were likely now sound asleep.

Nick, whose real name was Nicolas, wanted to be just like his father when he grew up. A brave, noble knight and mercenary, always fighting for those he loved and never taking the wrong path. Emily enjoyed listening to his stories as well as Fiora's, whether they were about Sain's old habits, his and Kent's days as Caelin knights, or anything else. She also wished to ride a Pegasus like her mother someday and have adventures as great as those that both her parents had. And Sain knew that both he and Fiora would enjoy training them both so they could reach their goals.

The husband and father's thoughts were soon interrupted, however, when Fiora finished with the hairbrush, set it on the small table in front of the mirror, and laid down upon the bed.

"Are you alright? You seem distant," she spoke up.

"…Hm? Ah, sorry," Sain replied, almost not hearing his wife. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am. To have such a lovely wife and wonderful children. I…never really thought I had that much of a chance of getting that. I mean, before we met, and even _when_ we met, I was just a scoundrel when it came to women. I never really meant to be, but I couldn't help myself. Finally winning you over and later starting a family with you just…well, made me come to my senses."

A large grin crossed Fiora's features.

"Heh. I'm glad," she replied. "And really, Sain, it wasn't entirely your fault. A lot of women just wouldn't give you a chance. First impressions can mean a lot, but sometimes they can deceive as well. And in your case, they deceived quite easily."

"…Really?"

"Mhm. Why else did I fall in love with you? Even though I passed on your advancements the first few times, I still decided to get to know you. And I saw a different Sain behind the womanizing, reckless lunatic."

"Hey! But, you do make a good point, my dear. You saw the kind, gentle, caring, and brave man I really am, right?"

"Hee hee, that I did. But to top it all off…"

"Hm?"

"One day during the war, after we had set up camp, I was walking back to my tent after speaking with Florina and I saw you with your horse by a nearby lakeside. You were by yourself and you had stripped your armor. I think Kent was with Lady Lyndis. He had quite a thing for her, so yeah. But anyway, I paused, wondering what you were doing. Knowing you, I was thinking some girl might have duped you into believing she was going to hang out with you just to get you off her back, and I didn't want to see you disappointed because of such a mean thing. I was about to approach you when you took your boots off…and then your shirt."

At this, Fiora's cheeks turned a deep red.

"…Ah. Hehe. I think I know where you're going with this," Sain replied with a devious, but pleased grin.

"Heh, yeah… Your build and your frame… They were just unbelievable. Those domed biceps of yours with those rippled abs and that broad chest… I blushed harder than I ever had before in my life. I had to confess to myself that you were…very handsome. Of course, you still are. And I had always wondered how you hit enemies so hard all the time."

"Ah, I remember that. I started doing some pushups afterward to begin my workout routine," Sain recalled. "And then I was going to go for a swim. But I'm not _all_ that surprised at this. I know very well that lots of young women like muscles on a man."

"What? You mean you did all that on purpose just so the women would see you?"

"Huh?! No, no! That's not what I meant! I can understand why you'd assume that, but I really was only intending to do my workout routine. Honest. You can ask Kent, he trains too, you know. Though, he doesn't really work out like I do, so he's scrawnier than me. But you get the idea. In fact, I was actually hoping _no_ women would see me in fear that they would accuse me of what you just said and then Kent would find out and clobber me."

"…Oh. I see now. That does make sense. I rather thought that you cared more about women than anything, though."

"Well, in a sense, I kinda did, actually. But my honor and respect as a knight and for my country were essentially equally important. Back when Lady Lyndis was fighting to stop that dastard, Lundgren, from taking the Caelin throne and killing Lord Hausen, Marquess Araphen refused to aid her simply because she had Sacae blood. I was so pissed off that I wanted to skewer him right there, but Kent stopped me. It's one thing not to aid a lovely lady in need, but it's entirely another when you refuse her aid simply because of her heritage."

"Ah, I see…"

"Yeah. And also, when the time finally came to battle Lundgren himself, I was the one that took his life. And he said he favored me over Kent, and called him a stubborn fool. What was the first thing I said back? "That is a gracious offer, my lord… However, I'm rather fond of my friend the stubborn fool.""

"Oh… Wow. You didn't mention Lady Lyndis until afterward?"

"That's right. And when I faced General Eagler, I didn't mention any women at all. Just Lord Hausen. Though General Wallace was the one that made the kill in that case. Anyway, no one might have guessed it back then, but I know that if Kent and a random woman I just met but was rather smitten with were in danger and I could only save one… I would be rescuing Kent. He's my best friend and has been since we got to know each other while training under Eagler. And we've practically been through hell together."

"I see… I was right back then."

"Hm? About what?"

"That there might actually be things you care more about than women after all."

"Ah. Yeah, you were definitely right about that."

"And, another thing, some of your flattery actually was…charming."

"Really?"

"Yeah. What girl wouldn't want a man to say she's as lovely as a field of flowers?"

"Heh, true, I guess. Though when Rebecca told me that saying such things to every girl won't make any of them feel special, I thought it didn't mean anything anymore."

"Well, she was right about that, in a way. Giving the same compliments to every woman you meet could indeed make them feel less special. But there was one thing she forgot."

"Oh?"

"You never compared any of them to one another. You didn't say one was prettier or smarter than the other and then say that same thing to another girl. And you never said to one girl that you would choose her and then say the same to another. If you had done any of that, they would definitely not feel special. But you wanted them all to feel special."

"…You know, you're absolutely right. I can't believe I never noticed that myself. And I know I did try to add variety to my flattery as well."

"That too. You never actually literally used the same compliment twice."

"Yeah. Still…now that you've pretty much explained what made you fall for me, I feel you deserve to know why I chose you."

"Hee hee, I'd love to hear that."

Sain merely smiled lovingly before replying.

"…Well, as you put it, you were the only girl to see me for who I truly was. The only one to give me a real chance. And when I got to know you, I realized that there was much more to a woman than just her looks. You taught me that not every good-looking girl will also be a good person on the inside. Uh, I mean, not that I thought you were a _bad_ person, it's that when I got to know you, you turned out to be even lovelier than I thought. And then there was Sonia, for example, from the Black Fang. Sure, she was also lovely, but she was evil. And not even human at that. She wasn't like you in the least bit. Kent also said he thought you were in love with me and that this was my chance."

"Really? Kent picked up on my feelings?"

"Yeah. I found myself being rather nervous and shy at that point though. I had no clue what I was supposed to do. I mean, a woman never actually returned my feelings before, you know?"

"Yeah, understandable."

"But he slapped some sense into me and told me to suck it up and tell you how I really felt, that I had fallen more in love with you than any of the other women. And that was the truth. Those feelings were more real than ever."

Fiora then nudged closed to her husband and laid her head upon his shoulder. Sain responded by wrapping his arm around his wife.

"Well, then we sorta have Kent to thank for bringing us together, no?" Fiora pointed out.

"Heh, yeah, I guess so," Sain replied, a grin crossing his features after. "You know, you're lovelier than a bouquet of roses tonight."

"Hee hee. Oh, Sain."

"Hey, you did say to save the flattery for later. Hehe."

"True, I did. And thank you."

Fiora giggled again as she spoke her words.

"You're quite welcome," her husband replied. He received a kiss on the cheek immediately after.

"Hey, you know…" Fiora continued. "Maybe, also for old times' sake, you could…take your shirt off again? I know you've done it for me in the past, but that was a while ago…"

Sain merely smiled again.

"Heh… Maybe I should."

With that, he sat up, reached for the sides of his shirt, and pulled it over his head, revealing the sculpted muscles within. Since the war twelve years before, Sain's build had grown further, and he had become a rather bulky lug. He didn't look like one of those berserkers, huge men with giant axes, but he was larger than the average knight from the many times he trained and worked out. The domed muscles of his large arms matched the rippled muscles of his stomach and the rock-hard domes on his broad chest and shoulders. Fiora lovingly ran a hand across her husband's torso.

"Even brawnier than I remember, just as I thought," she deduced.

"Yep. Never quit training or working out, even after resigning from Caelin," Sain replied. "But, I can give you more than just a touch of the hand, my beautiful flower…"

With that, Sain yanked Fiora's smaller form on top of him and pressed his lips against hers. Even as the older, wiser man he now was, his romantic side had never disappeared, and this was yet another one of the things Fiora loved about him. She gladly curled her arms around Sain's neck and returned his embrace by lancing her tongue into his mouth, not to be outmatched. He caressed her waistline while she slid her arms across his chest and back, though neither of them made any effort to go further. They had agreed long before that two children were enough, and that caressing and cuddling were as far as they'd go from then on. That is, unless they managed to find a solution that would decrease the risk of "baby-making."

Several moments later, however, the pair was interrupted by two familiar giggles and was forced to part. Sain and Fiora glanced over to see that their bedroom door was ajar, and two small faces were peering inside.

"Hey! No peeping, you two! Get back to bed!" Sain playfully ordered.

"You both know better than this," Fiora added with a small chuckle.

"Aw, but we can't sleep! We're too excited about Kent coming!" Nick replied.

"Yeah, he's so cool! We just can't wait to see him!" Emily seconded.

"I know, but you'll fall asleep eventually," Sain assured. "Now go on."

"Okay…" both kids replied at the same time and obeyed their father.

"Those two can be so nosy, can't they?" Fiora said once the door was closed.

"Yeah, but they don't mean any harm," Sain replied.

"Oh, but of course. Still, I think we should just get under the covers now, in case they decide to come back."

"Agreed."

With that, the couple tucked themselves under the warm blanket on their bed. Fiora still lovingly allowed Sain to hold her in his brawny arms, but they eventually dozed off together. In truth, however, they were just as excited about Kent's arrival as their children were, and had chosen to share one more good-night kiss before going to sleep.


	2. Kent's Arrival

**Author's Note: Just a quickie here, those of you that like Avatar: The Last Airbender, keep your eyes peeled for a humorous reference. ;P**

Chapter 2: Kent's Arrival

The next day, Sain, Fiora, and both the children were up as early as eight bells. There was no telling exactly when Kent would arrive for his visit, and the family wanted to be sure things were ready for him. Sain prepared the couch in the living room so the knight could sleep on it. Their house didn't have a guest room since they couldn't afford a home any larger than a small one with four bedrooms. Sain placed a clean folded blanket and two clean pillows on one side so they would be ready to use in the evenings and he moved the decorative couch pillows to a closet. He also made sure that the cushions were clean and fluffy enough. Fiora went to the market to buy supplies, such as food to feed Kent's horse in case he ran out himself and so she could feed an extra mouth. Nick and Emily helped tidy up the house. Not that it was filthy, but it was good to make sure every room was spotless anyway.

Sain also gathered more wood for the fireplace, which thankfully was in the living room as well. He knew Kent was hardly used to a lot of cold weather, so he wanted his friend to be as comfortable as possible during his stay. While Fiora and Emily put groceries away, Nick helped his father stack the wood neatly behind the house where they kept all their firewood.

"Dad, I'm so excited! I can't wait to show Kent what you taught me about swords!" Nick blurted happily as he piled sticks and small logs. Sain stacked the heavier pieces of wood.

"I bet! And I'm sure he'll want to see," he replied with a large grin. "After all, you're a big kid now!"

"Yep, I sure am! And I'm gonna get even better with a sword! In fact, I might even get better than you and Kent."

Sain merely chuckled.

"Oh yeah? Well, that would take a lot of practice," he said.

"Hey, I can sure try!" Nick protested with a smile.

"Heh, indeed, you can. And if you put your mind to it, maybe someday, you will."

"Awesome!"

"Well, after we're done here, how about we go out and prepare the pasture? We'll need to fill up the water and food troughs completely if Sampson, Lilac, and Goldie are to all have enough to eat and drink."

"Okay, I can help with that!"

Sampson was the name of Kent's horse while Lilac and Goldie were Fiora's Pegasus and Sain's horse respectively. When Kent had named his steed, he felt that it deserved a knightly name because it was a warhorse and Sampson sounded perfect. Fiora had picked her Pegasus's name from a list of pet names she once found and decided Lilac was her favorite. Sain had always wanted a female horse due to his interest in women, as the steed's gender reminded him of the beautiful ladies he had been attracted to. The name Goldie sounded like a name of great value, just like those women. Sain only hoped that the pasture would have enough room for Kent's horse. Steeds needed plenty of space to run around and get exercise, after all. All Sain could do was hope for the best.

It didn't take much longer for Sain and Nick to finish with the wood. Within several more minutes, every piece was neatly stacked and organized. The two then headed back into the house to let Fiora know, so she could later get a warm fire going for when Kent arrived. Sain entered the kitchen, the smell of eggs and pancakes reaching his nose.

"Ahhh, that smells so good!" he complimented with a smile.

"Hee hee, I'm glad," Fiora replied, returning the gesture. "I'm not the best cook ever, but I'm glad I do well enough for us."

"I think you cook well too, Mommy!" Emily cried from nearby. She was placing dishes on the table for when everyone was ready to eat.

"Aw, thank you, sweetie."

"Yeah, we all think so, Mom!" Nick added. "Why wouldn't we? We've been eating your meals for a long time."

"Heh, that's true," Fiora agreed. "And I know pancakes are a favorite of Kent's, so this meal will be special for him."

"Ah, yeah, that's right," Sain realized. "Not that the rest of us don't like them, of course. We just want to show our appreciation to him!"

"Exactly."

"Well, anyway, Nick and I finished stacking the firewood, so you can light up the fireplace anytime you're ready," Sain continued.

"Oh, thank you, that's wonderful. I'll get to it soon then," Fiora decided.

"Alright, then I'll take Nick out back so we can make sure the food and water troughs are full so the mounts have enough to eat and drink while Kent's here. Gotta make sure the lanterns in there are going as well so the water doesn't freeze over."

"Okay. Oh, but wait, that reminds me. Sain, could you be a dear and run into town to get more water? I didn't have enough room to bring back much when I was out. And Goldie is stronger and heavier than Lilac anyway, so she can carry more weight."

"Ah, but of course. Anything for you, hun."

"I'll go along to help out! We've gotta bring back a lot of water," Nick added.

"Oh, you both are so sweet," Fiora commented. "Thank you so much."

"You're quite welcome," Sain replied with a loving smile. "Well, let's get going, Nick!"

"Alright!" Nick agreed. With that, the two headed back outside to saddle up Goldie and make the trip into town. Thankfully, the two didn't have to go very far. The nearest local water well was only a few blocks away from their home. This meant that they would likely be back before Kent arrived. After Sain strapped the saddle and reins to Goldie, he attached a small wagon to the belt of the saddle and placed four large canteens that were the size of small barrels on it as well as four smaller ones that were about half that size. He then lifted Nick atop the horse's back and then mounted himself. This wasn't the first time Nick had gotten to ride a horse with his father, so he was familiar with how to do so safely. He held onto the noose on the front of the saddle so he wouldn't fall off. Sain then took hold of the reins and navigated the horse into town.

"Hang on, Nick!" Sain instructed as he had Goldie go into a trot down two streets. When the water well, which was located at the top of a small hill at the side of a road, came into view, Sain slowed Goldie to a walk and had her gradually climb to it. The hill had a gentle slope, so it was no trouble for the mare, even with two riders. At the top, the keeper of the well had a small wooden shack, so those buying water could pay for it.

After Sain dismounted and helped Nick off of Goldie's back, the two removed the canteens from the wagon. Sain took the larger ones while Nick grabbed the smaller two. He then instructed Nick to fill the bucket attached to the pulley on the well and help pour the water into the canteens. The two would then haul one canteen each at a time back to the wagon. The water cost two gold per gallon, and each of the four large canteens could hold six gallons while the smaller ones held three. That meant that each large canteen cost twelve gold while each small one cost six.

"Now how much gold would we have to pay in all?" Sain quizzed. "Can you figure that out, Nick?"

"Huh, let's see…" Nick contemplated as he pulled up the first bucket of water. "Six times four is easy. That's twenty four gold total for the small canteens. Now twelve times four… Twelve…twenty four…"

Nick then began counting twelve four times on his fingers.

"Forty eight gold total for the large canteens!" he blurted out moments later and then poured water into the first large canteen.

"That's right! You're definitely paying attention to your education," Sain complimented. "Now just add twenty four to forty eight."

"Ooh, that's a toughie…" Nick replied. "I'd have to do it on parchment first."

"Heh, yeah, at first it seems difficult for a boy your age. But there's an easy way to do it. Try adding twelve to forty eight two times."

"Ah, I can try that. Let' see… Forty eight plus twelve…that's sixty! Then twelve more…seventy two! Seventy two gold total!"

"You got it! Your mother's been teaching you well, it seems!"

"Yeah, she teaches me and Emily something almost every day! She even says you should start teaching me more than just swordplay and outdoor stuff too. Haha."

"Ah, well…" Sain uttered in abashment with a guilty smile. "I guess there is more I can teach you both. Perhaps some history behind the Caelin knights someday?"

"Oh, that sounds fascinating! Just no more boring math and reading! I get that enough from Mom."

"Haha, sure. I'll leave that to your mother then. I didn't like that stuff either when I was your age. But it's a necessity for many things."

"Yeah, Mom told me that, but it's still way more boring than learning to use a sword!"

"Heh, I must agree with you on that one."

With that, the two continued to haul up water and pour it into the canteens. Once the first large canteen was full, Sain carefully carried it back to the wagon and reloaded it. Nick carried the smaller ones once they were full so his father didn't exhaust himself trying to move all of them. Of course, since Nick was much smaller, the weight of the canteens forced him to move slowly, but he was strong enough to do the job without hurting himself. Sain was sure to keep an eye on him as well.

Sometime later, Sain was working on the third large canteen while Nick hauled back the third small one, which was already full. As he was slowly moving towards the wagon, however, a bug whizzed right by his face, causing him to flinch and lose his balance. Nick tried to regain it, but he only tumbled to the ground, the canteen of water flying out of his hands. It went rolling down the slope, right towards a man walking by. By the time he had heard it, however, it was too late. The canteen slammed into him and knocked him to the road below.

"AAAUGH!" the man bellowed as the canteen struck the side of his torso. It also popped open during its tumble, splashing water all over his body. Sain and Nick gasped and quickly ran down to see if he was alright.

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry, Sir," Nick apologized shakily. The man was wearing slightly tattered clothing and had a rugged face, as well as a muscular build very similar to Sain's. A beard had begun to grow in and his brown hair was somewhat shaggy. A giant wet spot sat in the middle of his pale blue shirt. Water had splashed his pants as well.

"Are you okay?" Nick continued.

"Yeah, do you need a hand?" Sain added.

"Ugh…" the man moaned. He sat up and angrily threw the canteen off of himself, shooting Nick a nasty glare.

"You little runt!" the man spat, clutching his side as he got up. He then slowly approached Nick. Sain quickly stepped between them and growled.

"Hey! My son said he was sorry!" he shot back. "Now back off!"

"And let the snot-nosed brat get away with almost breakin' my ribs?!" the man retorted.

"He didn't mean to do it! You lay a finger on my boy, and you'll regret it!"

"Ha, I'm shakin'!"

With that, the man tried to approach Nick once more, only to be stopped when Sain drew back his fist and clocked him in the mouth. What looked like a molar went flying past his lips and blood trickled down his chin. The man growled again as he wiped it away.

"Ye'll pay fer that, you punk!" he shouted and charged at Sain. However, he moved so swiftly that Sain hadn't enough time to counter and was knocked to the ground. The man remained on top of him and rammed his fist into his face at least a couple times.

"AAH!" Sain bellowed loudly when the man's elbow struck his arm and his side.

"Dad! NO!" Nick shouted, tears building up in his eyes. He quickly threw his hands over his eyes, as he did not want to see his father get beaten. Unfortunately, he heard Sain's cries a few more times.

However, he was not finished. He quickly recovered from the blows and rammed his knee into the man's gut, forcing him to cry out in pain instead. Sain then shoved the bottom of his foot into his chest, forcing the man off of him. He quickly stood up afterward, despite the immense pain in the left side of his face and torso and the blood trickling from his nose. The man clumsily followed suit after and tried to swing at Sain again. Only this time, Sain was prepared and ducked to avoid it. He clocked the man one more time, and finished by going into a wheel kick. Sain swore he heard the man's jaw crack when his foot struck it. The impact was so strong, it sent the man tumbling back down the hill and crashing into a nearby vegetable stall that was part of a market. A table and tapestry covering fresh vegetables to prevent the cold from spoiling them was smashed to the ground.

"Noooo! My cabbages!" the vendor's voice shouted. The man did not get up this time, allowing Sain to relax. By now, he was panting slightly and still in great pain.

"Nick?" he called as he turned around. However, the boy was nowhere to be found.

"Nick! Where are you?!" Sain repeated frantically.

"Oh, I'm right here…" Nick finally replied, crawling out from behind the well. By this time, he had run to hide out of fear.

"Thank goodness," Sain uttered with a sigh of relief.

"Ah! Dad, you look terrible!" Nick cried fearfully. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay, I think. I'm real sorry you had to see that. I only wanted to protect you."

"I know… You were really brave, Dad. I was just afraid that man was going to badly hurt you."

"Heh, thanks. And don't worry, I understand. But we should finish up and get out of here quickly. I'm glad there's only one large canteen left. My face, my side, and my arm hurt so bad… And the blood on my nose is freezing up… Ugh, your mother is going to kill me."

"Oh no… But Dad, Mom will understand when we tell her what happened!"

"Augh… Yeah, well, I'm afraid it's not that easy with her."

"But she's just gotta. You weren't being bad, that mean man was."

"That's true… Let's just hope your mother agrees. Now let's hurry. This cold is hardly helping me and we don't want to be here when that guy wakes up."

"Okay…"

With that, the pair quickly got the last two canteens filled up. Since Sain was still in pain, Nick decided to help carry the large one back to the wagon. He took one end of the canteen while Sain picked up the other. It still hurt, but he knew there was nothing else he could do. Nick was nowhere near strong enough to carry six gallons of water by himself. Within the next minute, Nick finished the final small canteen, and the two were ready to go back home. Hopefully, Kent was not there yet, and Sain could treat his wounds before he did arrive. The only thing Sain hated was that he would have to greet his best friend with a black eye. The area around his left one was turning red and purple rapidly and it was swelling a little. And by now, the blood on his nose and lip hung from his skin frozen like icicles. He probably had bruises on his arm and side too. Sain was lucky that the man had missed his ribs.

After the wagon was completely reloaded and ready to bring back home, Sain and Nick went to the shack to pay for the water. No way was Sain leaving his son outside alone while the man from before was still lying on the ground nearby, and could possibly wake up at any time. Not long after they entered, the well keeper greeted them, and it didn't take long for him to notice Sain's blackening eye.

"Holy… Sir Sain, I thought I heard some commotion out there," he said. "What happened to your face?"

"Oh, a jerk threatened my son here after a little accident left the guy soaked and bruised from a runaway canteen," Sain explained. "I had to keep him from hurting my boy, so I fought him off. But I have seventy two gold ready for thirty six gallons of water, so here. I apologize, but I must get home soon so I can treat my wounds, and I'm expecting a friend to visit real soon."

"Oh, I see. And don't worry, I understand," the keeper replied and took the gold. "That eye of yours has gotten dark and swollen, so you definitely need to put something on it as soon as you can. Though, it's really a bummer that your friend has to see you like this."

"Yeah, true… But I have to deal with it. Thanks a lot for your consideration."

"But of course. Now hurry and help that eye!"

"Right!"

With that, Sain and Nick left and hurriedly returned to Goldie. Thankfully, the man from earlier was still out cold, and no other attention besides that of the vendor of the lost cabbages had been drawn to the scene. At least for now, there wasn't. The vendor was nowhere to be found, which meant that he could've rushed off to find some militia or mercenaries who would get the wrong idea. And Fiora would really chew him out if that happened. Sain could only hope that he could straighten things out with her before then.

Since Goldie was now pulling a heavy load, Sain chose to guide her back to the house on foot while Nick followed. It would take longer to get home this way, but it also saved Goldie energy as well as Sain the trouble of irritating his injuries by trying to mount her. As they headed away from the well and around a block, Sain's teeth began to chatter almost violently. The icy cold of the frozen blood on his nose chilled his face to the bone. And even worse, snow began to fall. _Damn that stupid bastard… _Sain vented in his mind, wondering why the man he had beaten couldn't have just left Nick alone. _Fiora's going to go through the roof when she sees me like this… And I won't even get started on how Emily will react._

"Aaagh! If only I'd had a sword or lance with me! I would've crushed that guy in seconds!" Sain opined in frustration. "And I wouldn't be in so much pain right now…"

"Yeah, Dad, but… Nobody knew we'd run into a man like that," Nick pointed out.

"Well, that's true. Man, am I glad we're almost home."

By this time, the pair had passed by the second block and their house was in sight. Sain quickened his pace as much as he could and led Goldie to the pasture in back, where he could unhook the wagon and return the horse to her stall. He would have to unload the water later, as his wounds needed attention first. It would be too painful to lift one of the large canteens anyway. After Sain and Nick put Goldie away, they quickly headed into the house, embracing the warmth from the burning flames in the fireplace. Sain was glad to be inside a warm building again, but he loathed Fiora's inevitable reaction to his injuries. Unfortunately, the first person he and Nick beheld when they closed the back door was Emily.

"Eeeep!" she cried when she saw her father's face. "Daddy, you're hurt! Hold on, I'll get Mommy!"

"E-Emily, wait! I can tell—!" Sain tried to interrupt. However, Emily didn't pay attention and rushed to the kitchen. _Damn it…_

"Mommy!" the girl blurted frantically upon bursting through the door.

"Oh, Emily! What's the matter?" Fiora inquired, having just placed finished pancakes onto a plate.

"You gotta come quick! Daddy got hurt badly while he and Nick were gone!"

Fiora's eyes bulged wide when she heard these words.

"What?!" she exclaimed.

"His face got beat up!" Emily continued. "It looks horrible!"

"Oh! Quick, go get a wet cloth while I have a chat with your father."

"Okay! Poor Daddy…"

With that, Emily rushed off to the bathroom while Fiora quickly dropped her spatula and darted into the living room. She gasped when she beheld her husband sitting upon the couch. Just as Emily had described, Sain's face looked terrible. His left eye had become swollen and turned purple and blue while partially frozen blood hung from his nostrils and mouth. The warm fire was gradually melting the blood, however, and it had begun oozing down Sain's chin. He had attempted to wipe some away with his hands so as not to get any on his clothes.

"Oh no! Sain, what on earth happened to you?!" Fiora frantically wondered. "You look absolutely awful!"

"Well, I…" Sain began, but could not figure out how to continue.

"…You got into a fight with someone, didn't you?" Fiora guessed, some irritation in her voice.

"Please, I can explain…" Sain replied, though it almost sounded like a plea. "It's not what you think."

"Oh, it isn't? You know I don't like you getting into fist fights in front of our children! It's a bad influence!"

"I know, but I didn't just randomly start throwing punches!"

"Yeah, Mom, it was my fault," Nick stepped in, sniffling. "I'm really sorry."

"What? What are you talking about, Nick?" Fiora inquired, bringing her hands to her hips.

"Nick, that's nonsense," Sain added. "You know very well that you aren't to blame."

"But Dad, you were only trying to protect me! If I hadn't hurt that man—"

"Please, just be quiet right now, alright?"

"Sigh… Fine…"

Before anyone could say anything else, Emily entered the room again.

"Here you go, Mommy," she said and handed Fiora the wet cloth she brought. Fiora then practically shoved it in Sain's face, so he could clean the now-wet blood off of it.

"Sain, what happened?" Fiora asked again, this time in a more demanding tone. "Why would Nick hurt someone?"

"He didn't _mean_ to," Sain countered. "He was carrying a smaller canteen back to the wagon when he tripped and dropped it down the hill. It slammed into a man walking by, knocking him over. The cork popped off and the water got all over him. He threatened Nick after he got up, and I told him to back off, but he didn't. I clocked him, and then…well, we got into it."

"What?! Are you serious?"

"Yes! I'm really sorry…"

"Ugh…Sain… You couldn't prevent the situation from getting violent at all?"

"No, I couldn't. Honest, I tried to. But that guy was going to hurt Nick, maybe seriously."

"I see… But I don't want our children to think that violence is always a valid solution to conflicts. Nor do I want them to be frightened."

"I know… I just…I couldn't bear the thought of Nick ending up in a clinic or something because of this guy, especially when Kent's on his way."

"I understand. And I guess you really didn't have a choice in this case. But don't forget what I've said."

"Don't worry, I won't."

"I won't either, Mom," Nick added. "I was scared, but I'll try not to fight someone unless I really have to, just like Dad."

"Yeah, me too," Emily seconded.

"Good. I'm glad to hear all of you say that," Fiora replied. "Now Sain, get some ice or snow on that eye as soon as you're done cleaning up your nose. I have to finish breakfast. I only wish Kent didn't have to see you like this after so long."

"Alright. And believe me, I hate that as much as you do."

"I bet."

With that, Fiora retreated back to the kitchen while Nick offered to start getting the water unloaded by moving the small canteens. Sain continued to rub at his painful nose, hoping the bleeding would stop soon. Thankfully, the bone didn't feel broken. The aching in his side had also subsided, meaning once he was finished treating his injuries, Sain could unload the large water canteens. He soon noticed that Emily had not left the room, however. She merely stood there, her large eyes filled with worry.

"Daddy," she spoke up. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Oh, yes, I'll be fine," Sain replied. "I know I must have frightened you. I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry, it's alright. I can go make you an ice pack, if you want. Mommy taught me how to do it with the ice and snow outside."

"Huh, is that so? Then that would be great, sweetheart. Thank you."

"Okay then! I'll be right back!"

With that, Emily rushed back into the kitchen to get a thin cloth. Fiora always made ice packs by placing a handful of snow and ice on it, then tying it closed with a string. It actually looked similar to a vulnerary, a gold pouch containing healing medicine, only smaller. Once the ice and snow melted, the cloth would be wet, but the cold water would still work just as well. Plus, Sain had more to worry about than getting his face wet. Having to greet Kent like this was bad enough. But what if he wanted to explore the town during his stay? Or go hang out at places besides the house? Sain detested the idea of going out in public with his eye as black as it was, especially with a friend as close as Kent. He'd not only draw attention to himself, but to Kent as well. And Sain would never live it down if this led to trouble. Kent was supposed to be relaxing and spending time with his friends during his visit, even if Ilia wasn't exactly the ideal vacation spot. Stress was the last thing Sain wanted to cause him at a time like that.

_Damn it… I hope you'll forgive me for this, Kent,_ Sain thought to himself with a sigh. He removed his cloth from his nose again to find that the bleeding had finally stopped. He then made sure to wipe away whatever was left before going to toss it in the dirty laundry. Sain sighed again when he made his return to the living room, realizing that he can only hope for the best in the situation. Once he walked back in the room, he found Emily there waiting for him, holding the ice pack she promised.

"Oh, Daddy, there you are!" she spoke up. "I was about to go find you! Here you go!"

Emily then held up the ice pack for her father.

"Ah, thank you so much," Sain replied and took it. He then pressed it against his still painful black eye. The chill of the snow and ice soothed the damaged skin and instantly drove some of the pain away.

"You're welcome!" Emily replied with a smile. However, it soon faded into a frown and her gaze moved to the floor.

"Is something wrong?" Sain wondered.

"Well…"

Sain then lowered to Emily's level and smiled.

"Hey, if anything is still bothering you, you can tell me. I'm right here," he assured his daughter.

"Okay. It's just… I'm still afraid because of that man you talked about," Emily admitted. "The one that was mean to Nick."

"I can understand. I would be scared too."

"But what if he tries to get back at you? He might hurt all of us."

"I wouldn't ever let that happen. I already fought him off once, so I can do it again if I must. He won't touch you as long as I'm here."

"Well, that's true… But he could go tell the…mileesha?"

"Heh, militia, sweetie."

"Oh, yeah, them. That man could lie about you and make them take you away. Mommy told me and Nick that they fight off bad people or put them in prison."

"Well, she's right, but if that happened, I'd straighten it out."

"How? They could think you're the liar."

"Don't worry, they won't. I have people to back me up. Your brother saw almost everything, if you remember. He can tell them what he saw."

"Oh yeah…"

"And what's more, the well keeper heard the commotion and there are people that can tell them I'm not a bad man. That vegetable vendor that lost part of his stall after I sent the mean man back down the hill might not agree, but he's just one person compared to many people that would side with me. Oh, and Kent will be here too, so you'll have double the protection. So don't worry, everything will be fine, alright?"

"Well, okay. Thank you, Daddy. I feel much better now!" Emily decided, a smile returning to her face.

"Heh, you're welcome, sweetie. I'd give you a hug, but it would be difficult while trying to hold this ice on my eye."

"Don't worry, I know. I'll just give you a hug instead!"

With that, Emily threw herself into her father's torso, allowing him to use his free arm to return the embrace.

"I love you, Daddy," she said. "You always make me feel better when I'm scared."

"Well, that's my job," Sain replied, stroking Emily's back. "And I love you too."

By now, Sain also felt better about the situation himself. Even if there was more trouble due to what had happened at the water well, Kent would sooner give up his post than refuse to protect those he cared for. He and Sain had been through far worse situations in the past as Caelin knights and they always had each other's backs. Sain realized he was a fool to believe Kent might feel his vacation ruined just because his best friend mistakenly attracted a little attention from the wrong people. Just as Sain said himself, things would work out fine.

"So, why don't you go finish helping Mommy?" Sain said once he and Emily let go of one another. "I'm sure she's still pretty busy."

"Oh! That's right, she said she wanted me to do something else for her," Emily remembered. "I'll go right now."

Emily had turned around to go back into the kitchen, but before she could take more than a few steps, Nick came barging into the room. A big smile was strewn upon his face.

"Dad! Emily! Kent's here!" Nick announced.

"He is?! Oh yay!" Emily cried, jumping up and down.

"Yeah, I saw him going down the road on Sampson while I was coming back inside! He's here, he's here!"

"Ah shoot, I was hoping to have a little more time to treat this eye before he got here…" Sain admitted. "I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it. Does your mother know?"

"Yeah, I told her before coming in here. She says she's almost done cleaning the kitchen and will be out in a little bit."

"Alright, then let's go greet Kent in the meantime," Sain proclaimed with a grin. "He's probably waiting for us!"

"Yeah!" both kids shouted excitedly.

With that, Emily grabbed her coat and the three headed through the front door to meet their guest. As Nick had said, Kent had indeed arrived. The orange-haired Caelin knight was atop Sampson waiting in front of the house for them. He then dismounted to greet his friends. Nick and Emily rushed up to him first.

"Kent!" they both cried at the same time. They buried themselves in Kent's torso, who chuckled happily.

"Heh heh hey, you two!" Kent greeted, wrapping his arms around both kids. "I guess you really missed me!"

"Of course we did!" Emily replied. "You're our best friend!"

"You're the coolest besides my dad!" Nick added. "And you both are the best knights ever!"

"Heh, I'm very glad to hear that!" Kent commented, letting both of them go so he could greet Sain. Of course, the first thing he noticed was his friend holding the ice pack on his eye.

"Whoa. Sain, what happened to your eye?" he wondered, arching an eyebrow. "I can see a lot of purple and blue under that ice pack."

"Hey there, Kent," Sain greeted with a smile. "I'm glad you made it here alright. And it's a long story."

Sain then repeated what had occurred at the water well earlier before and how he fought off the man that had threatened Nick.

"The guy was tougher than I thought. I ended up with a bloody nose too, but I already took care of that," he finished. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this."

"Wow. Don't worry, I'm just glad neither you nor Nick ended up in a clinic," Kent replied. "But if that man causes you anymore trouble, you know I'm here to help stop him."

"Thanks. I'm glad I can count on you. Anyway, it's been such a long time. I'm so glad we could meet up again."

"Same here, my friend. There's nothing else I would've rather done with my vacation time."

"Really? Even though it gets cold as hell here and it's across the continent?"

"I'm serious. Sain, you and I are a team. It's like we're each half of a pair. Ever since we met, we've been partners and fought side by side in every battle we joined. And we always looked out for and supported one another. No distance or place can change that."

"Heh. It means a lot to me to hear you say that. And you know, you're absolutely right. We are a team and always have been. I was foolish to ask such a dumb question."

"Oh, it's fine, I know you were just concerned about how I'd handle this weather. But really, you might have irritated me on occasion with how many women you went after, but you were still a true friend and my best friend through and through."

"Aw shucks. Yeah, I was a real pain sometimes, I bet, but you stuck by me. And I'm forever grateful for that."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

Kent held up his hand, motioning for Sain to take it. Sain then responded by doing just that, joining his friend for a bent-elbow hand clasp.

"Right on!" he replied.

When they were finished, Kent returned his attention to Nick and Emily. He then knelt to their level.

"So, how have you two been?" he inquired with a smile. "Wow, you've both grown a lot since I last saw you!"

"Yeah, we sure have!" Emily replied. "Mommy measures us every month! And I still help her whenever she needs me!"

"I'm going to grow up to be just like you and dad!" Nick proclaimed. "In fact, Dad's teaching me to use a sword! I want to show you what I've learned!"

"Oh, is that so? I'd love to see, Nick!" Kent commented. "For now, though, I have to talk with your dad for a bit longer. Why don't you two go tell your mom we'll be inside shortly?"

"Oh, okay!" Emily agreed. "Just don't take too long, Mommy's got breakfast ready! She's just cleaning up."

"Yeah, and she made you pancakes too!" Nick added.

"Ah, then I'll try to make this fast," Kent replied with a big grin.

With that, Nick and Emily rushed back into the house. Kent turned his attention back to Sain.

"Gosh, Fiora didn't have to do that for me," he said. "But I'll have to thank her nonetheless. I don't get a pancake breakfast often with how busy I get."

"Yeah, I bet," Sain replied. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Well, firstly, I take you got my letter?"

"Yeah, it came yesterday, just as you suspected. We readied things for you for when you arrived."

"Ah, I'm glad. And thanks. But…there's another reason I came here."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"I need to talk to you about something. It's important."

"Oh, well, why can't we discuss it over breakfast? I'm honestly getting hungry."

"Well, it's…sensitive. I don't think Fiora and the kids ought to know just yet. We need to talk privately first."

"I see. Why wasn't this in your letter?"

"Because I actually didn't find out about it until after I sent it. I apologize."

"Oh, I see. It's alright, that's understandable. Now let's go put Sampson in the pasture and go eat, we'll worry about it later."

"Alright, that's fine with me. Fiora hasn't gotten to say hi to me yet anyway."

With that, the two led Kent's horse to the nearby pasture and stable where Goldie and Lilac were always kept. After unsaddling Sampson and closing the gate, Sain and Kent made their way to the back door of the house and entered, the smell of warm food wafting through the air. After Kent dropped his bag off in the living room, he and Sain headed for the kitchen. Inside, the table was all set with five plates and sets of silverware, though since it was small, it was somewhat cramped. Due to this, Fiora had to leave the food itself on the kitchen counter. Kent couldn't help but grin widely when he saw the high stack of pancakes on one plate, eggs on another, rice in a pot, and sliced bread on yet another plate. He almost drooled at the pancakes, as they were indeed a favorite of his. Fiora soon interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh, Kent!" she greeted and rushed over. "It's so good to see you again!"

Fiora threw her arms around Kent's neck and welcomed him with a hug. Kent smiled warmly and returned it.

"It's great to see you too, Fiora," he replied, letting her go moments later. "It appears everyone is doing very well."

"Oh, we are. Well, aside from the trouble Sain got himself into earlier, that is."

"Ah, don't worry about that. It wasn't his fault. And I really appreciate you making all these pancakes, and even keeping them warm. You didn't have to, but I guess you knew how much I love them."

"Of course! How could I not make any? You're not used to a place like this, so Sain and I figured we ought to make you feel as comfortable as possible."

"Yup, that's right," Sain added. "It _is_ your vacation, after all."

"Aw, thanks so much. I did eat a small meal after I got up this morning, but it was a while ago, so I definitely have room for more!"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Fiora replied happily. "Let's eat!"


	3. A Devastating Secret

Chapter 3: A Devastating Secret

After the five served themselves plates of food, they sat down at the small table to eat. Fiora had grabbed an extra chair from the closet that they always used when they had a guest over so Kent would have something to sit on. Despite the slight lack of elbow room and Fiora having to cut Emily's pancakes for her, the five managed to enjoy their food while catching up since the last time they had all been together. Sain told Kent all about his past mercenary jobs, and how he'd managed to skewer a dozen bandits all by himself using a combination of stealth and the element of surprise. Kent was quite impressed and said that Sain had come a long way since his resignation from the Caelin knights. Kent then described the latest jobs he'd had to do in Caelin, mainly the hoard of tasks he'd accomplished that earned him his time off.

"Being a steward is harder work than I ever thought possible, especially since I'm also a knight." he said. "I have to do pretty much what a marquess does _and_ what a general does all in one sitting."

"Wow, really?" Sain wondered as he ate a piece of egg.

"Yeah. You know what a general is supposed to do, obviously, but a steward has to go to a bunch of meetings, enforce laws, negotiate trades and such, make sure the castle is well guarded and the staff is doing their jobs, and more."

"Oh my," Fiora commented after swallowing some pancake. "And I thought being a wife and mother was hard work."

"Try being a husband and father," Sain countered jokingly. "That's even harder!"

"Oh shut up," Fiora playfully retorted and smacked his shoulder, as he was sitting next to her. Nick and Emily merely laughed.

"Heh, I'm sure you both have tough duties at times yourselves," Kent agreed with a smile as he munched on a bite of pancake. "But on my end recently, boy did things start getting hectic."

"What happened?" Sain inquired.

"Well, another thing a steward has to deal with sometimes is idiots. And I ended up with a lot of them on my plate this time. First there were cadets and squires training to replace the men that had been lost in the last war. A couple of them got the bright idea to rub stinkweed on the others' practice weapons before everyone headed out to train. So instead of training, everyone was scrubbing weapons clean. I don't tolerate such foolishness, so of course those two went goodbye."

"Bah, dumb kids these days," Sain opined. "Not my own, though, of course. They're raised with the greatest care possible!"

Sain then affectionately ruffled Nick's hair, who chuckled happily.

"Aw, Dad!" he said.

"Heh, I can't disagree there," Kent replied. "Anyway, after that fiasco was taken care of, some lawsuits erupted against a mill after a food poisoning epidemic broke out."

Kent explained that a crowd had stormed up to the doors of the castle and demanded that he punish the mill workers. Kent had assured everyone that his men were investigating this case and that they had to prove that the mill had done anything wrong at all, but they just wouldn't let the issue go.

"I almost wanted to tell them to just shut up and go away," Kent finished.

"Oh my goodness," Fiora uttered. "There wasn't any trouble from it, was there?"

"No, except for an assassination attempt on the mill owner. Thankfully, I took the precaution to station a few guards there and they caught the tramp before he could fire an arrow. Of course I threw that numbskull in the dungeon."

"Man, seriously? Wow. Just wow," Sain replied, shaking his head. "You really did have to deal with a bunch of nut jobs, didn't you?"

"Yup. It didn't help that I got a lot of crap for even protecting the mill either," Kent continued. "Especially from some of my advisors. Thankfully, they know that if they pull any stunts, they're gone."

"Huh, I'll say," Sain agreed. "You never hesitated to give me a good smacking whenever I got up to mischief back in the day. I believe you."

"And it worked, didn't it?" Kent replied with a grin.

"Now don't you start."

"Hehe. Anyway, it turned out that the produce at the mill was all fine. It was what they had sent to a few shops that was the problem. We found that their storage rooms were filthy and infested with rats, so we closed them down immediately."

"Ewww!" Emily commented. "That's gross!"

"Yeah, people have to be pretty stupid to run a shop like that!" Nick added.

"Ick, I agree. But good that those shops were forced out of business. I guess the people apologized for blaming the mill?" Fiora surmised.

"Yeah, but they were still fools to have gone rampaging to the castle," Kent replied. "Some of them had even started a picket line there for a while."

"Oh geez. Well, good that you got it all sorted out."

"Right. But not long after that, one of the older castle chefs had a heart attack and didn't make it. Of course, I had to arrange the funeral and all."

"That's a shame. I hope his family is doing well," Sain commented.

"Same here. Oh, and for the love of everything, I just have _not_ been able to come to an agreement with Laus on some issues," Kent finished with a sigh.

"Oh no. Erik is being a douche again, isn't he?" Sain guessed. Erik became marquess of Laus after his father, Lord Darin, had been slain in the last war.

"Yeah, basically. He still won't let go of his grudge against Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood, I guess. He knows I'm friends with them."

"Yeah, probably. I bet you still go out and clobber bandits once in a while too."

"Yep, that and stop skirmishes with Laus and Bern."

"…Those two will never be friendly with us, will they?"

"Not anytime soon, that's for sure. I'm just praying that this doesn't escalate into another war."

"So do I," Fiora agreed. "We really don't need a repeat of what happened before. All of Elibe was in jeopardy."

"Exactly," Kent confirmed. "But just in case, I'm making sure the new recruits, cadets, and squires work hard."

"Good. It's better to be safe than sorry," Sain pointed out.

"Indeed."

"Well, it sounds like you really did need to get away for a while," Fiora commented.

"You'd better believe it," Kent replied as he finished the last pancake on his plate and what was left of his meal. "Fiora, I tell you, that was the most delicious breakfast I've had in ages. I'm going for seconds on those pancakes!"

"Aw, you're too kind, Kent," Fiora replied, her cheeks going pink. "Good thing I made a lot though, huh?"

"You got that right," Sain agreed, who was almost finished with his food himself. "You're going through them like an archer goes through arrows! Soon, we'll have to start calling you Pancake Kent!"

Nick burst out laughing while Emily giggled.

"Ha, very funny," Kent opined as he went to refill his plate. He began to heap more pancakes and eggs onto it.

"Nick, don't lean back on your chair like that. You could fall backwards and hurt yourself," Fiora lectured as she caught the boy's leaning chair.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that, Mom. I couldn't stop laughing," Nick admitted with a big grin. "Pancake Kent! Haha!"

"Pancake Kent! Pancake Kent!" Emily chanted with a giggle.

"Great, see what you've started now, Sain?" Kent pointed out. He didn't sound that irritated, however.

"Oh come on, it was just a joke," Sain replied, now his turn to stand up and go for seconds. "You know that. And it isn't like any of us would call you that in public."

"Yeah, I know. It's all in good fun," Kent agreed with a smile. He returned to the table to work on his new set of pancakes. Sain rejoined everyone moments later with his own refilled plate, though he didn't have as much food on it as before. Fiora had finished her meal as well and decided to remain at the table so the conversation could continue.

"Well, Kent, it looks like you did really well handling all those troubles," she observed with a smile. "I'm honestly impressed."

"Me too," Sain agreed. "Maybe you ought to be the new marquess."

"Me? Oh no, no way," Kent objected, waving his hand. "The job is hard enough as steward. I'll be happy once someone can take the throne and leave me to just being general. But thanks, I'm glad I could keep things together too."

"Well, if you insist. By the way, who's watching things while you're gone?"

"My second-in-command. One of the few truly reasonable guys in the whole place."

"Ah, that's good. …Wait a minute, he's my replacement!"

"Yeah, so? Someone had to take over after you left."

"But you never left me in charge of anything like that when you had to go somewhere!"

"You? In charge of the whole castle? Well, maybe you'd be able to handle it now, but back then, I knew that all you'd do is hit on the maids all day."

"…Eh, heh. Yeah, now that I think about it, you're probably right."

"Yeah."

"So Kent, I've still gotta show you my new sword skills that Dad taught me!" Nick spoke up. "We even sparred a little!"

"Oh? That's awesome! I can't wait to see!" Kent replied with an eager smile.

"Wait! Kent! I need to show you something first!" Emily put in. "I got a pretty new dress from Mommy and Daddy for my birthday last month! It was one I wanted for a long time and I want you to see!"

"Ah, sounds great!" Kent commented.

"Hey! Wait a minute! I have to show him my sword skills first!" Nick protested.

"No! My dress is important!"

"It is not! Besides, I asked Kent way before you did!"

"Well didn't Mommy ever teach you about ladies first?!"

"Psh, like you're a lady?"

"I am too, you meanie!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"ARE NOT!"

"Hey! Hey!" Sain interrupted. "Don't argue at the table, you two. Kent doesn't want to see you fighting over him."

"Indeed, he has more than enough time to give you both attention," Fiora added. "It's up to him which he wants to see first, so let him choose."

"Fine…" Nick and Emily both conceded.

"Yeah, there's enough of me to go around, don't worry," Kent put in with a smile. "As for which to see first… Well, Nick, it's still a little early. I know you asked first, but it'd be better if I watched you when the weather warms up a bit later. It'll still be cold, yeah, but not as cold as it is now. Plus, watching you use a sword would take longer than Emily donning a dress. You understand what I mean?"

"Well, yeah, I guess you're right," Nick replied.

"Great! Now don't worry, I promise there will be plenty of time to see your sword skills."

"Yeah, Nick, I'll be as fast as I can!" Emily promised. "Cause I know you, Daddy, and Kent when it comes to your practicing. You'll be outside for hours."

"She's got a point there," Sain admitted with a chuckle.

"Touché," Kent conceded with a grin.

"Yeah, true," Nick added.

"Well, I know I haven't quite finished cleaning up my mess in here, but I'm going to clean up my dishes and then head to the stable," Fiora decided. "I believe due to Sain having to nurse his injuries from earlier, the water and food troughs were never filled and the lanterns not lit."

"Aaah! I completely forgot!" Sain realized, smacking his forehead. "I'm real sorry, Fiora. The water's probably half frozen by now."

"Yeah, I would've done it, but it's too much work for me," Nick replied. "But I did get all the water canteens off the wagon. The small ones were easy, but the big ones, I had to lie on their side and roll onto the ground. I just rolled them over to the side then stood them up after that."

"Oh, that's very clever!" Sain complimented. "I have a smart boy! I just hope you didn't hurt yourself. Those things are heavy."

"Don't worry, I'm okay."

"That's good. Great job!"

"Thanks!"

"Well, at least some of the work got done and I know you wouldn't have forgotten had you not been hurt, Sain, so I won't hold that against you," Fiora replied. "Now make sure you all clean up."

"Of course," Sain assured.

With that, everyone went on to finish their meals. Kent offered to help clean up all the dishes once they were done. Sain said he should leave it to him and the kids since he's visiting and shouldn't have to do any work, but Kent insisted, saying it was the least he could do to repay Fiora for the delicious meal. A little bit of rice was leftover, so it got tossed out. Nick and Emily gathered the dirty dishes while Sain and Kent washed them, dried them, and put them away. Miniature water wells and pumps were built in kitchen and bathroom sinks and tubs inside houses, so people didn't have to bathe, do laundry, or other such tasks in the cold. The much larger, public water wells were for people to buy water for animals, guests, and other such occasions where a lot more was needed than what smaller wells held. They were also sometimes used to refill the household wells when they would run dry. It was a very convenient system, especially for a country like Ilia that was cold year round.

Fiora had returned to the kitchen just as the others were finishing up, as she had never finished cleaning up herself. She was astonished to see the room as spotless as it had been when she started. The counters had been wiped down, the sink cleaned after being used to wash dishes, and the table neat and tidy, chairs pushed in and everything.

"Oh, you all cleaned up the entire kitchen for me!" Fiora realized. "You didn't have to do that."

"Well, we felt like it since you worked so hard on that breakfast, hun," Sain replied with a loving smile.

"Yeah, and you were already busy outside, Mom," Nick added.

"Oh, thank you so much," Fiora replied. "But Kent, you didn't have to do anything at all. You're a guest, you should be relaxing instead of working after what you went through in Caelin."

"Ah, it was no trouble," Kent assured. "And I wanted to thank you somehow for the delicious meal."

"You all are such dears," Fiora commented. "And Kent, I'm so glad you enjoyed the food. But you know, Sain can cook too."

"Really? I had no idea," Kent admitted and turned to Sain. "I would have never guessed a guy like you had that kind of talent."

"Ah, well, I only know the basics, but yeah, I can cook a meal if I must," Sain confirmed. "I learned so I could help if Fiora took ill or got hurt or something and couldn't use the kitchen without further hurting herself or contaminating the food. She's still better at it than me though."

"Oh, that makes sense. Especially since you're both mercenaries and likely sustain injuries rather often."

"Yep, exactly," Fiora agreed. "Well, the water in the stable didn't freeze, thankfully, so I turned the lanterns on just in time. It's also a good thing that it's late spring, or else it _would_ be frozen."

"Oh, good. I'm glad my mishap didn't cause another problem," Sain replied. "It's bad enough that I have to walk around with a black eye."

"I bet," Kent commented. "Well, I guess it's time to do something fun!"

"Yeah! I gotta go put my dress on!" Emily exclaimed with excitement.

With that, she left the kitchen and darted up the stars to her bedroom. Nick decided to go out back and practice until Kent was ready to join him. While they waited on Emily, Sain asked Kent if they could spar later as well, as it had been a long time since the last time they had done so. Kent was not hesitant to agree and knew Nick would want to watch anyway. After all, he hadn't seen them spar in a very long time and he could learn from both.

Within the next minute, Emily had emerged from the hall upstairs wearing a blue dress with white lace on the waistline and bows on the spaghetti strap sleeves. Of course, it wasn't something to wear in Ilia's weather, but Emily did enjoy wearing it when the family went to a warmer part of Elibe. Kent thought it was adorable and looked very good on her. Emily thanked him and retreated upstairs again to change. While she did so, Kent turned his attention to Fiora.

"Hey, uh, Fiora, why don't you and Emily go and join Nick when she's back?" he suggested. "Sain and I will be out shortly. I just need to ask him something real quick. It's kind of personal between us."

"Oh, that's fine with me," Fiora replied. "I'm sure you boys talk about a lot of things us girls wouldn't be interested in, so I don't mind."

"Ah, thanks. Don't worry, we won't be long."

"Okay, we'll be waiting for you then!"

Kent merely smiled while Sain arched an eyebrow. However, he remained silent. It didn't take long for Emily to change back into her regular clothes, and minutes later, she had returned once again. Afterward, Fiora led her out back where Nick awaited them. Sain and Kent were by themselves once more, and Kent sighed with relief. Sain folded his arms.

"Alright, what was that all about?" he inquired.

"Remember? I wanted to speak to you privately about something important," Kent reminded his friend. "But I'd prefer to do it elsewhere. I can't risk the others overhearing. It's not that I don't trust them or anything, it's that it's sensitive like I said before."

"Okay, what would you like to do then?"

"How about we go out to a tavern for wine or something later this evening? The kids would be going to bed shortly and Fiora would have to stay and keep an eye on things."

"Sounds fine to me. I know a good tavern not far from here. But we have to tell Fiora where we're going. She'd go crazy if she found us gone all of a sudden."

"Well yeah, of course we'll tell her. We'll just say that we want some time to ourselves. You know, for just us guys."

"Say what? Would that even be the truth? If not, then forget it, because there's no way I'm lying to my own wife like that."

"Huh? Nooo, no no no no. We'll still just hang out. In fact, I've wanted to do that since before I found this important information. I just figured it'd also be the perfect opportunity to tell you about it without risk of your family finding out prematurely."

"Oh, I see. That's different then. Sure, we can head out later."

"Great, thanks. Now let's go out back. We don't want to keep the others waiting."

"Right."

With that, Sain and Kent joined the rest of the group outside in the back of the house, next to where the pasture was. Nick was already swinging his practice sword against a wooden dummy that Fiora must have helped him set up. His swings were still rather sloppy, but he had already looked better than his first session with Sain. Nick described his spar with his father and how he had very nearly landed a clean blow on him. Kent complimented him on his good start and figured that the boy would grow up to be one strong warrior. Nick blushed in abashment at the comment and asked Kent if they could spar sometime as well. Of course, Kent agreed. It was always good to spar with multiple people, so one could get a feel for different fighting styles.

The group spent at least a couple hours outside as Sain, Kent, and Nick practiced swordplay. Kent decided to show Nick a few of his own techniques for future use, and Nick was all the more excited to remember them for when he was skilled enough to learn them. Emily also asked Fiora if she could teach her the lance when she was big enough, as she still wished to ride a Pegasus like her mother. Emily didn't especially like fighting in this manner, but she decided that it would be great to take after Fiora and her aunt Florina and Farina, Fiora's younger sisters.

"I don't know about taking after Aunt Farina, but I can definitely teach you to be a Pegasus knight just like us," Fiora promised with a smile.

"Yay!" Emily cried excitedly.

"Say, speaking of your sisters, Fiora, how have they been?" Kent wondered.

"Oh, Florina is a captain of the Pegasus knights now and she's been doing her job excellently," Fiora replied. "As for Farina, last I heard from her, she was still with that pirate, Dart. I don't know if they're married, but they did seem real close. And of course, she's always dying to fatten her coin purse."

"Ah, Florina has come a long way," Kent realized. "I'm proud of her. When we first met, she was as shy as they come, especially around men. I wouldn't be surprised if Sain gave her nightmares. Haha."

"Now that's not funny!" Sain protested. "I didn't want to scare anybody!"

"It's a joke, Sain."

"Well, I didn't laugh."

"Hehe. Anyway, sounds like Farina is enjoying herself, despite the not-so-noble lifestyle she's got."

"Hey Kent! You know, Aunt Florina is still single!" Emily pointed out. "If you marry her, you'd really become family! Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Oh, that would be awesome!" Nick agreed. "Our dad is already the Green Lance. Then we'd have the Crimson Shield for our uncle! So cool!"

Just like Sain was known as the Green Lance, Kent had earned himself his own nickname of the Crimson Shield. It was due to his red armor and how skilled he was at shielding against attacks and being able to take a good few hits.

"Ah, uh…well…" Kent stammered, his cheeks going pink. "Yeah, it would be, but…"

"Aw, I'm sure you could win her heart!" Emily encouraged.

"Maybe. We'd have to see."

Sain merely chuckled to himself, receiving a glare from Kent. Afterward, they continued their sword training. Once they were finished sometime later, they decided to show Kent around town, as he probably hadn't gotten to see much on his way to the house. Kent admitted having to ask for directions to Sain and Fiora's home as well because he had not been in the area before. They visited the market where the nearest local water well was first, though Sain cringed at the idea of going back to the area where he had beaten up the man that had threatened Nick and caused a vendor to lose some cabbages. Thankfully, neither the man, nor the vendor was around, allowing Sain to rest easy.

The group also went to a museum that was for the history of the Pegasus knights. Fiora had pointed out one knight mentioned there that was hers, Florina's, and Farina's ancestor. Nick and Emily also felt proud to be descended from a well-known Pegasus knight. Afterwards, everyone went to lunch at a café. Sain asked Kent if he was getting too chilly, but Kent assured that he was fine, though he found it wasn't easy to adapt to the cold. He shivered for a good while, though moving around helped to warm him up a little. The café was also somewhat warm thanks to all of the flaming lamps. After lunch, the group went back home, and Kent and Sain decided to spar right after. Nick joined them outside as they had suspected, more excited than ever to watch a match between his father and his other idol, something he hadn't gotten to see in a long time.

Kent and Sain both chose to use swords for the spar since Nick was learning to use one and it would be good for him to learn from. Just as Nick hoped for, the two were evenly matched. Neither could land a precise blow on the other, though on occasion, Sain would nick Kent's shoulder or Kent would barely hit Sain's non-sword arm. Eventually, however, Sain managed to get his friend caught in a clash of their blades and bore down on him.

"Nnnggh… Dang, you've gotten unbelievably strong!" Kent admitted as he was nearly shoved to the ground by Sain's incredible strength. Even so, he continued to push his blade against his friend's.

"Hey, that's what happens when you work out and train like I do!" Sain replied and continued to shove his friend closer to the ground. "You're faster than me though, so I'm sure you can get out of this."

"Oh, you bet I can!"

With that, Kent quickly snatched his blade away and darted out from under Sain, causing the latter to stumble and fall flat on the ground. Kent then attempted to finish the spar and pin Sain down, but Sain was quick enough to roll out of the way and get back to his feet. He might not have been as fast as Kent, but he wasn't slow either. However, Sain was too slow to avoid Kent clashing his blade with his once again, and the two traded swings back and forth. The match went on like this for some time, with both men outsmarting one another multiple times, until the two became too exhausted to carry on. They decided to declare the match a draw.

Afterward, everyone headed inside and Sain and Kent treated the small wounds they sustained. Kent promised Nick he would spar with him the next day and the boy couldn't wait. Later that evening, Fiora cooked a steak and rib dinner with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes, also with some help from Emily. It was after they finished that Sain and Kent told Fiora of their plans to go out for a while. Fiora was fine with it, but reminded them not to be out too late, as it could be dangerous. Not only was it always possible for bandits to lurk about, but at night, the already cold temperatures dropped even further, and being outside too long in such conditions could result in frostbite. Sain and Kent promised not to be gone too long and departed for the stable.

After they saddled up and mounted their horses, the two headed into town. Sain led Kent to a tavern they had passed earlier in the day when they had gone out with the others. It was called the Snowflake Tavern and was a sociable and peaceful place. It wasn't one of those old run-down taverns where idiot drunkards hung out or strippers worked. This tavern only allowed adults over twenty one to drink alcohol there, but even families could go inside to enjoy music, have a quick meal, or rendezvous with friends. Once Sain and Kent tied their horses outside, they walked in and sat down at the bar. There were not many customers at the moment since dinner had ended, much to Kent's relief. He didn't want to risk anyone overhearing what he had to say. He and Sain then ordered a couple glasses of wine.

"So, Kent," Sain spoke up while they waited for the bartender to fill their order. "What's been on your mind that's so important and that my family can't know?"

"Well, to be honest, it's a bit of a long story," Kent admitted, glancing away.

"Hey, if you're embarrassed about something that happened in Caelin, you can talk to me about it," Sain assured. "I wouldn't tell anyone of it, not even Fiora or the kids. Although, I highly doubt they would laugh or refuse to comfort you."

"I know, I don't doubt it either," Kent agreed, though he still wasn't sure how to begin. "But…"

"Hey, I can understand if you made a mistake or two while dealing with all those problems you had. That's not anything to be ashamed of."

"Well, see… The thing is…it's not about me. It's about you."

"Me? What do you mean?"

Kent sighed before continuing.

"Let me start at the beginning," he replied. "I had finished preparing to leave Caelin and head to Pherae to meet Lord Eliwood as I had described in my letter. But just as I was leaving the castle gate, a messenger came up to me. It turns out he had caught me just in time, as he had a letter for me. This confused me, as there was no way a response from you could've come that fast. So I wondered who it came from."

"Okay. So the letter had important information about me?" Sain guessed.

"Not quite. The letter more or less led me to it," Kent continued. "You see…it was from your parents."

"What? My parents? Why would they be sending you letters and not send me or my family anything?"

"It's not that they didn't want to send you anything. Their letter said they needed to speak to me as soon as possible and that they wished for me to pay them a visit."

"So, they wanted to talk about me?"

"You can put it that way, yes."

Moments later, the bartender gave Sain and Kent their drinks, and the two began to sip the wine.

"Sain…" Kent resumed. "Your parents… They were carrying a dark secret."

"…Say what?!" Sain blurted. "What the hell are you talking about, Kent?!"

"Shhh! Keep it down, will you? Anyway, they told me that they never mentioned a word of this to you and that they could never bear to tell you face to face. They feel too ashamed, and have a lot of regret."

"…Are you serious? Then tell me. I demand to know."

"But of course. That is why I wanted to speak with you privately, after all. Anyway, their story began long before you were born. In fact, it was before your parents even met."

"Then what does this have to do with me?"

"Patience, I'll get to that part. Before she met your father, your mother was part of a group of sages that studied and practiced together. She was seeing one of these sages and for a while, the relationship had no problems."

Kent went onto explain that the sage eventually grew rather possessive and Sain's mother had to get away from the group. She figured that perhaps the sage would calm down without her around for a while. However, while she was away, she met Sain's father, and though she had eventually told him of her relationship with the sage, the two gradually fell in love anyway and began an affair. They were eventually married and began living a happy life together. However, Sain's mother had completely forgotten that she never actually officially ended her affair with the sage, and with more time, she became pregnant with baby Sain. Because she could not hide her growing belly and the sage had gone looking for her, he found the couple and was furious.

The sage was not a forgiving man and he had every intention of punishing Sain's parents. He threatened to be back for revenge when the baby was born, as it was not long before Sain's mother was to give birth. When she did, the sage had showed up soon after, as he had promised.

"He arrived not long after your birth," Kent continued. "In fact, your mother was still in bed in a clinic with you in her arms. The sage then said he would cast a curse upon you. A life changing curse."

"…W-What?! A curse?!" Sain gasped, his eyes widening with fear.

"Will you please be quiet?! Anyway, yes, it's no joke. The sage said that once you reached thirteen years of age, the curse would cause you to fall for every pretty girl you would ever meet and not cease your advancements. They would turn you down as a result. The only way this curse would be broken is if you experienced true love and won the heart of the woman you'd be fated to spend your life with."

"…But that…that can't be! All that flattery, all that trying to protect the women, all that being attracted to them… It wasn't me, but a damned curse?!"

"I'm afraid so, Sain. I really wish I didn't have to tell you news like this. But your parents felt that you deserved to know after all these years. They didn't want to keep their regret and shame bottled up forever. And they hope you can forgive them for their foolishness someday."

"This… This is just… I can't believe it…" Sain stammered, his eyes staring at the table in devastation. "I know I used to say that it was my curse to be attracted to all pretty women, but… To think there was actually any literal truth behind that…"

"I understand. I was very shocked to hear this story myself," Kent admitted.

"But now that I think about it… After Fiora and I revealed our feelings to one another, everything just…changed all of a sudden. The urge to flirt with other women was gone. I didn't want to try protecting ever single woman I came across anymore. All that was on my mind was Fiora and our future together. But I thought that was supposed to happen. I mean, when a guy gets a girlfriend, there's no reason for him to go getting flirty with other women."

"That's true, but for you, it happened so fast that it wasn't normal. The curse broke, driving away any heavy womanizing characteristics you had."

"I…I see. Damn…"

Sain slowly lowered his head and buried it in his arms on the table. How could his parents have messed up so terribly, to cause their child's life to become something it shouldn't have been? And what would Fiora and the kids think of this? Sain's flattery and desire to protect her had been partly what made her fall for him in the first place. If she found out it had all been nothing but a curse and not Sain's true character, it could break her heart. As for Nick and Emily, they could literally believe their father to have been a living lie in his younger days. As tears formed in Sain's eyes, all he could think of how his family would react and what they would think of his parents now. Kent placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Sain… I know this is hard for you to take," he said. "But I can help you."

"I don't doubt it," Sain sobbed. "But…why wouldn't they tell me? Why did I have to live my life thinking I was someone I'm not?"

"They feared that either it would devastate you like it is now or that you would never want to break the curse," Kent replied. "But they never wanted to keep it from you this long. They feel very ashamed of themselves."

"I should hope so," Sain agreed, raising his head. "I feel like…a stranger to myself now. Who am I really? What was I supposed to be like? Would I have been as good a knight? Would I have even won Fiora's heart?"

"I wish I could say. But Sain, while the sage thought your chances of breaking the curse were slim to none, you did it anyway."

"Well, duh, I'm married and have two kids! What's your point? That I should tell them I wasn't really who I should've been, which could've been a damned nobody for all I know, and that my parents had messed up my life?"

"No, no! Just listen to me. We might not ever know what you would've been like had you not had a curse placed upon you, but I believe the fact that you succeeded in breaking it and without even knowing of it in the first place says something. It was supposed to be practically impossible for you to break it. The sage was intending for you to remain single and alone your whole life. But you defied that and won the heart of your fated soul mate anyway. Hell, you were even able to control the curse when you met a woman that was already married by backing away and suppressing the urge to flirt with her. Sain, this means your will was more powerful than that curse ever was, which allowed your true character to shine through when it most counted."

"You…you really mean that?"

"Without a doubt."

"Thanks… But… I still don't know how Fiora and the kids will feel about this. They might not understand and still think half my life was a lie. And will they hate my parents? Will Fiora refuse to let Nick and Emily see them again?"

"Now that could be a problem. I honestly wish I knew the answer…"

Before Sain could reply again, the bartender had noticed him bury his face in his hands and sigh.

"Whoa. Is your friend going to be okay, bud?" the bartender asked Kent.

"Yeah, I just had to give some…disappointing news, is all," Kent replied, trying hard to sound completely honest. "He'll be fine."

"I see. Well, good to know."

With that, the bartender returned to his duties in serving drinks and food. Sain heaved a sigh of frustration as he just stared at the counter.

"Kent, I just… What am I going to tell Fiora and the kids?" he wondered. Unfortunately, Kent was unsure of the answer himself.

Later on, after Sain and Kent returned to Sain's home, they found the house fairly dark and quiet. Fiora was setting up the couch in the living room for Kent to sleep on. She had placed the two pillows that had been there at one end and the large blanket spread over the cushions. Neither Nick nor Emily was anywhere to be found, meaning they must have gone to bed already. After all, it was rather late in the evening and everyone had had busy day. A warm fire was blazing in the fireplace again, embracing the room with comforting warmth. Sain and Kent removed their coats as soon as they walked into the door and hung them on the coat rack nearby. Fiora noticed them moments later and approached.

"Oh, you boys are back," she greeted. "Did you have a good time?"

Sain almost didn't hear his wife, as he was still in a bit of shock.

"Hm? Oh, yes," he replied. "Did quite a bit more catching up."

"Yep, that's right," Kent seconded. "We lost track of time after a while."

"Ah, well, I'm glad you didn't end up staying later than you should have," Fiora commented. "I would have worried about you two."

"That's what I told Kent," Sain replied. "But we're here, and that's what matters. I'm guessing the kids are in bed?"

"Yeah, they're sound asleep. Nick wanted to wait for you because of what happened at the water well, but he fell fast asleep before you got here."

"Oh, I see. Poor kid, he should never have had to go through that."

"I agree," Kent added. "It could've been worse, but still."

"Yeah, that's true," Fiora agreed. "Well, the couch is all ready for you, Kent. I wish you could have a more comfortable place to sleep, but we don't have a spare bed and there's no way I'm letting you go back and forth from an inn in the cold, especially at night."

"Oh, don't worry about it, the couch will be fine," Kent assured with a smile. "I've had to sleep in less comfortable places."

"Yeah, like your knapsack," Sain jibed with a chuckle.

"Sain! You didn't have to bring that up!" Kent shot back in irritation.

"Oh, geez, did you really once find him asleep in that, Sain?" Fiora inquired, also giggling.

"Yup, I sure did, and I was on the floor laughing!" Sain replied. "Our platoon of knights had worked extra hard that day, and a lot of us were exhausted, so we camped out. I went to feed Goldie and clean my armor at a nearby pond, and when I came back to our tent, I found Kent on his knees in the corner with his head inside his open knapsack! Oh, it was hilarious!"

"Haha, wow! How silly!"

"Aw come on…"Kent uttered, bringing a hand to his face in embarrassment. "I was really tired and needed to get a few things!"

"Oh, Kent, really, you have to admit that that was funny!" Fiora insisted, giggling again.

"Yeah, for you, it really _was_ a nap sack!" Sain joked and burst into laughter.

"Sigh… Well, at least you were smart enough not to tell any of the other knights about it. It was embarrassing."

"Yeah, some of them would've probably laughed you right out of the castle. And of course, I didn't want that."

Sain was glad to have gotten a good laugh, as it helped to cheer him up from his earlier conversation with Kent. However, it couldn't prevent him from still being concerned about how his family would react to his news. It could drive a rift between them that wouldn't be easy to close. And even worse, Fiora could even take the kids and leave Sain out of thinking he had a family that was too crazy for them, though she would probably have to be extremely upset to do such a thing. All Sain could do was hope for the best and that they could remain a happy family regardless of any issues. Before anyone else could say anything, however, a pair of small footsteps came from the hall. The trio turned to see Nick standing at the living room doorway, sniffling and tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Nick? Nick, what's the matter? Are you alright?" Sain inquired worriedly.

"Yes, dear, why are you crying?" Fiora wondered.

"D-Dad, Mom…Kent…sniff…" Nick replied and rushed over to them, rubbing his eyes. "I had a bad dream…about that mean man. He came to our house and hurt everybody… Then he took me away and said I would never see you guys again! Waaaah!"

"Oh, you poor thing…" Fiora replied. She took the boy into her arms to comfort him.

"Whoa. That's really awful," Sain commented. "But it was only a dream. It's never going to happen in real life, Nick."

"I-I hope it doesn't! Sniff…" Nick sobbed as he buried his face in his mother's torso. Kent brought a comforting hand to his shoulder.

"Your dad's right, Nick, it won't. Not as long as we're all here to protect you," he said.

"I-I know, but…it was still scary… And who knows how many buddies that guy could have!" Nick pointed out and cried some more.

"Oh, dear…" Fiora replied and turned to Sain. "Sain, I'm worried. We really need to do something about this. Nick's been through too much. I've heard that nightmares like this tend to continue for a while after a child has had a traumatic experience like this. I mean, Nick was threatened by a strange man and he saw you almost get beaten to death. Kent coming here did ease the pain for a little while, but now that it's night…"

"Yeah, I agree. Let me handle this, though," Sain offered. "I'm part of the reason Nick got in this mess in the first place, so it's only right that I try to help him."

"And if it becomes difficult, you know I'm here to help as well," Kent added.

"Alright, thank you both so much," Fiora replied. "All I ask is that you be gentle and patient with him. Things like this could take some time."

"But of course," Sain promised. With that, he began guiding Nick back upstairs to his room. Kent then sat down on the couch so he could relax a little before going to sleep. He soon turned his attention to Fiora.

"Heh, Sain seems to care a lot for you and your children," Kent observed. "I can tell he's really devoted to his family."

"Oh, Kent, he definitely is," Fiora replied with a smile. "He turned out to be the best husband and father a woman could ask for. It was like he became a whole new person when we confessed our feelings and got married."

_You don't know the half of it, I'm afraid…_ Kent thought, remembering the story he had to tell Sain at the tavern.

"I bet. I could tell he changed too after that," he agreed. "I was his best man at the wedding, after all."

"Hee hee, that you were, and a fine best man you made! When Sain and I planned our honeymoon, he told me he didn't care where we went as long as I was happy. Because then he'd be happy too."

"Heh, sounds like him alright. He never did pass up the chance to try making a pretty girl happy."

"That's for sure. Anyway, he didn't even care that we'd be living in a cold, winter-locked country. It doesn't snow here as much during spring or summer months, but even so. He didn't care that he was leaving Caelin, he just wanted to be with me and knew that I had to do my duty in Ilia."

"Yeah, though I miss him sometimes. He's a great friend."

"Yeah, I can understand. Sain does everything he can to take care of us, though. Even though I'm a knight myself, Sain works hard to bring home as much money as he can to help get food on the table and clothes on our backs. He doesn't want to have to settle for hand-me-downs or bread and bowls of broth. He wants to make sure we can always have much better than that, the best if possible. And he lets us visit his parents or my parents whenever the kids wish. And even my parents are happy with him, and they always worried what sort of "no-good scoundrel" would steal my heart."

"Wow, that really is devotion."

"Oh, that's not all. And whenever any of us are sick, particularly me, he works even harder. If I'm sick, he stays home so he can make me hot tea or soup. He'll do so for the kids too while I'm out doing jobs. After I recover, he works extra jobs so he can earn the money I hadn't been able to."

"Dang. I always knew Sain to be a quite hard worker, but not _that_ hard."

"What, don't you remember the time he passed out from a fever while trying to overwork himself during the war?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. But even so, I'm surprised."

"Well, there's more. When I was pregnant, Sain took extra care of me then too. He made sure I was eating right, that I was comfortable, and I got all the baby items we needed. Every evening, he buried his nose in a parenting book I picked up too. He kept a close eye on me when it was near time for me to give birth. And when I did, he was right there at my side in my clinic room, to help me through it in case I got nervous. He held my hand the entire time."

"Wow… That's amazing. Sain really does sound like the ideal husband. And I never thought I would say that, to be honest."

"Neither did I. When I had Emily, he left Nick with Florina. He picked him up whenever it was alright for visitors to see me. When Nick himself was born though, oh, Sain was so overjoyed to be a father. He began devoting himself even more to us after that, because he had more mouths to feed. He worked extra jobs again because I had to stay home often to breast-feed and such things."

"Yeah, I bet. He must have a lot of energy."

"Well, even he has a limit. I swear, he worries me sometimes when he works so hard. Like when I was still pregnant, I couldn't work, so Sain insisted that he do extra jobs as well as some chores around the house. He even wanted to make our meals sometimes and feed Nick. And a couple times, he passed out from fever again. And I ended up caring for _him_."

"Oh, geez. I had a feeling that had happened. I bet you practically had to drag him by his arms to get him in bed."

"I sure did! I insisted that I could still do _some_ things around the house and that I would be fine, but he still wanted to help out, despite being feverish. But I would not let him. He had no choice but to give in, really. Sain had made himself so ill."

"Well, I'm glad he finally decided to rest. It would've been very bad for his health if he had actually continued trying to work."

"I told him the same thing. But still, he's been a wonderful husband and father regardless."

"Yeah, I have to hand it to him. He really is the definition of devotion and carefulness when it comes to you."

"I agree. His first priority has always been his family and he says it always will be."

"Mm…"

Fiora then found herself with a love struck grin while Kent could only feel concern building up in his mind. He was happy that Sain had done so well in the past twelve years and that his family was happy, but he knew there was one thing that could negatively change that. _ Man… How will Sain and I ever explain his parents' secret?_


	4. Missing!

**Author's Note: Another quickie, I added a reference again, this time to Disney's **_**The Return of Jafar**_** (one of my favorite Disney movies!), though it's probably not as obvious as the reference in chapter 2, so I'll explain. Sain says a line that's almost identical to one Aladdin uses in the movie. That line being "That's me! Ready for anything!" (which I always laughed at for some reason. XD) You'll know Sain's version when you see it. I felt it was fitting for the moment. lol**

Chapter 4: Missing!

Later in the night, after a long time of back rubbing and comforting, Sain finally managed to get Nick to fall back asleep peacefully. He then went back downstairs to the living room to let Kent and Fiora know of this, only to find the former asleep on the couch and the latter not even there. Kent didn't stir at all either from Sain's entrance, he just continued emitting snores. He'd been more tired than he let on from his long journey. Fiora had probably gone up to bed, and Sain decided it was best that he did so as well. As such, he returned upstairs and retreated to the master bedroom. As he had suspected, Sain found Fiora already in bed asleep, though she had stirred as soon as she heard her husband's footsteps.

"Oh, Sain, there you are," she greeted. "Nick went back to sleep?"

"Yeah, he'll be okay. For now, at least," Sain replied with smile.

"I'm glad. I'd like one of us to comfort him every evening if he needs it, until he recovers from this."

"Alright, I can certainly do that. …Or, uh, we could take turns, if you prefer."

"Heh, taking turns sounds good. But no matter what, no overworking yourself. You know how you worry me when you do that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll try."

"Good."

With that, Sain proceeded to change out of his clothes and into some usual nightwear while Fiora attempted to go back to sleep. He was glad he could help Nick for the time being, but he still couldn't get many things off his mind. The fear of what his family would think of his parents after he revealed Kent's story still plagued him. And the worst of it, Sain shuddered to find out what his wife and children would think of him. At this point, he wasn't sure if he'd sleep well himself. However, he knew that Kent would want him to hope for the best and not worry too much about it. But as much as Sain tried to do that, it was difficult.

He and Fiora had been married for twelve years and had few serious family issues in that time. Fiora's parents had even accepted him due to his hard-working and dedicated nature. Not to mention the fact that Sain endlessly worked to become the excellent knight he'd been since the last war. But if they found out that all these years, those characteristics stemmed mostly from his womanizing habits, which had been majorly caused by a curse indirectly brought on by his own parents? Sain had practically been a living lie and for far too long. Such news could deal a major blow to everyone.

There was a possibility that Kent could help Sain out and soften that blow. But what if he couldn't? Or what if it caused Fiora's parents to hate Sain and his family regardless, causing a family feud to erupt? Sain wouldn't have any idea what to do if this happened and Fiora would likely be pestered by her parents to annul her marriage with him, whether she agreed to do so or not. And surely, Sain's parents would beg for forgiveness and want Fiora to stay a part of the family. She would be caught in the middle and all Nick and Emily would be able to do is wonder if their family could ever get along again, or if their parents were going to separate.

_I should talk to Kent about this again, _Sain thought as he lay down on the bed, pulled the covers over himself, and let his head fall to his pillow. _He'd probably just say I'm worrying too much, but I can't help it. This is eating at me like hell. I just hope Kent can help…_

With that, Sain turned over and attempted to sleep, despite his fears. He let out a deep sigh and decided to chat with Kent first thing in the morning. Hopefully he'd at least be able to ease Sain's mind on the situation. Even so, Sain was still afraid and eventually worried himself straight to sleep. Light snores left his lips and at first it appeared that he'd peacefully dozed off. Unfortunately, while Fiora still slept soundly, Sain eventually began to toss and turn, and images that he'd likely never forget anytime soon began to form in his head.

Sain found himself in his living room with Fiora and the kids as well as Kent. He sat down on the chair while the others were on the couch. He took a deep breath, and spoke.

"_Fiora, Nick, Emily…" _he began. _"Look, uh… The reason I called everyone in here is because I have something important to tell you."_

"_Oh?"_ Fiora replied. _"What's the matter, Sain? You don't sound very excited."_

"_Well… You see… Kent brought me some news while we were out the other night,"_ Sain began. _"It…wasn't exactly good. My parents…had a secret that they'd kept from me for years."_

Sain then relayed the entire story Kent had told him, down to every detail. Kent added a little bit every now and then himself as well. When they finished, however, all Fiora and the kids could do was stare at Sain in shock and astonishment.

"_Sain… Are you serious?"_ Fiora finally replied moments later, though her tone sounded rather irritated.

"_Sadly, yes…"_ Sain reluctantly admitted, his eyes straying to the floor.

"…_I can't believe this. You're telling us such a story after twelve years of being together? What's the matter with you?!"_

"_Yeah, Dad! This is stupid!" _Nick added.

"_You're scaring me!" _Emily put in.

"_Huh?! But I—" _Sain began, but was cut off.

"_But nothing! If your parents were hiding things all these years, how do I know they can be trusted anymore?! How do I know even _you_ are trustworthy because of that?!" _Fiora continued._ "For all I know, you actually knew this all along and your parents only pretended it was a dark secret!"_

"_What?! Fiora, I'd never ever lie to you!"_

"_Oh really? I have a hard time believing that. In fact, I don't want my children to see your parents anymore. Your family has problems!"_

"_W-What?! But they—"_

"_They're scary!" _Emily finished._ "I don't want to see them either!"_

"_Yeah, they creep me out now!" _Nick seconded._ "And Dad, to think I thought you were amazing. Now I know you're just mostly a fake!"_

"_B-But…" _Sain tried to reply, but no more words came out.

"_You're not really the man I thought you were either," _Fiora added. _"I'm sorry, Sain, but we can't deal with this. And when my parents find out we're through, it won't be pretty. I'd rather keep my children out of the conflict, however, so you're on your own in this. Kids, let's pack."_

"_Okay!" _both Nick and Emily obeyed at the same time.

"_N-No! Wait, Fiora, please!" _Sain begged.

"_No thank you,"_ Fiora bluntly replied and stood up to lead the kids upstairs.

"_Well, Sain, it looks like I'm going home early,"_ Kent spoke up.

"_Wait, what?! Why?!" _Sain gasped as he turned to his friend.

"_You've got issues to sort out. And I don't want to get caught in the middle. Sorry. I'll go get my things."_

"_Uh, hey! You're just going to leave me too? Please, no! I need help! You guys!"_

"Please…! Come back!" Sain uttered in his sleep as he turned again, a grimace on his face. "Don't leave! Nooo!"

"…Huh?" Fiora muttered, Sain's blurting stirring her from her sleep. "Sain! Sain, wake up!"

Fiora nudged her husband until he shot up with a start.

"Ah!" Sain gasped as he did so. "Huh? Wha?"

"Sain, are you okay? You seemed to be having a nightmare," Fiora pointed out. "Don't tell me the incident at the well has gotten to your head too."

"Huh? Oh, no, it's not that," Sain assured. "It was something else."

"What? Then what is it? If something we don't know about is really bothering you, then tell me. I don't want you to be plagued with nightmares too."

"Well…see, I'd explain it, but I'm not sure how to yet. I…I need a little time to figure it out. I apologize."

"Oh, I see. Don't worry, I understand. I just hope you'll be okay."

"I'll try to be, I promise."

"Thank you, Sain. I just…I just worry about you a lot, you know. What with how hard you work and the dangers you could put yourself in while doing so…and more recently the trouble from this morning."

"I know… And I'm really sorry about that. All I want is to protect you and our kids. …And I feel that if I have to put myself in harm's way to do that, I will. And as for work, I try to be as careful as I can and it pays well enough to give my family a good home, nice clothes to wear, and three full meals a day."

"And I'm so glad of that, Sain. And I know I put myself at risk for the same reasons too. Just promise me that you'll never do anything too reckless or dangerous when you can avoid it. Please…"

"Don't worry, you can count on that."

"Oh, thank you… I love you, Sain. More than I can put into words."

"And I love you too, Fiora. You mean the whole world to me. You, and the kids."

All Fiora could do at this point was let a loving grin cross her features. She then wrapped her arms around Sain's neck and pressed her lips against his cheek. He smiled at the gesture, his mind somewhat eased.

"Now try to get more sleep, okay?" Fiora said afterward.

"Of course. And hopefully, I won't have another nightmare this time," Sain replied.

"Good."

With that, the couple went to sleep once more. Sain dodged an arrow by preventing himself from having to tell Kent's story to Fiora prematurely. Despite that, Fiora had been able to comfort her husband anyway. And thankfully for Sain, he slept soundly the rest of the night. And then Kent would hopefully finish what Fiora had started.

The next morning, Sain actually was the last to awaken. Fiora had the kids to help her with breakfast again and though the two wondered why Sain wasn't up yet, Fiora simply explained that he'd had some trouble sleeping the previous night.

"Let's just say he's had a lot on his mind lately," she finished, more correct than she realized. "We'll let your father sleep for a little longer."

With that, the children obeyed and the three continued in the kitchen. Kent eventually walked in to see if there was anything he could do, but Fiora insisted that he not do anymore work during his stay. Kent had no choice but to abide since it became clear that Fiora was never going to change her mind.

"Oh, hey Kent!" Nick spoke up a moment later. "We still have to spar! Can we do that after we eat?"

"Ah, that's right. Of course we can," Kent agreed happily.

"Yeah!" Nick cheered with a jump. "I just hope Dad gets up soon so we actually _can_ eat. Breakfast is almost ready."

"Don't worry, I'll go wake him if he doesn't get up on his own by that time," Fiora assured.

"Daddy's a real sleepyhead this morning, isn't he?" Emily commented with a giggle.

"Heh, I'll say!" Fiora replied. "But he deserves it for how hard he works for us."

"Yeah, he certainly does," Kent agreed. "Well, I'll just wait here at the table since you're about finished."

With that, Kent took his seat at the table and waited patiently. Fiora would have liked to tell him about Sain having had a nightmare, but she didn't want to bring it up in front of Nick and Emily. And knowing her husband, he was going to talk to Kent about it anyway. The two had talked about their problems with one another for years, probably since before she'd even met them. They were best friends, after all.

Meanwhile, minutes later, Sain finally awoke, lazily rolling over to stretch. He actually slept well the rest of the night, though it was probably only because Fiora had comforted him after waking him from a nightmare. Even so, Sain still needed to bring it up to Kent. He slowly sat up and then turned to see if Fiora had awakened as well. Much to his surprise, however, she wasn't there. In fact, her side of the bed was neatly made. And Sain knew that meant one thing.

"Ah, man! I hope the others don't mind that I slept a little late…" Sain said to himself as he bolted out of bed and began getting dressed. Just as he'd pulled his shirt off, however, the bedroom door opened. Fiora herself walked in and paused in her footsteps when she saw her husband.

"Oh! Sain! I'm so sorry, I thought you were still asleep," she quickly apologized. "I was coming in to wake you."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Sain replied. "I should've woken up sooner anyway. I'm just glad I only took my shirt off…heh."

"Yeah, that's definitely true. Plus, you know what I think of your shirtless-ness…hee hee."

"Heh, that I do."

Fiora then slowly approached Sain and let her arms slide across his shoulders lovingly.

"So, I assume you slept well?" she inquired with a smile.

"I most certainly did, thanks to you," Sain confirmed as his hands navigated to his wife's waist.

"I'm glad," Fiora commented, her hands sliding back and forth from Sain's chest to his back. "Well, I came to let you know that breakfast is ready and we're waiting for you."

"I figured. Sorry for being late this morning."

"Don't worry, it's perfectly fine. You deserve such rest once in a while, you know."

"Heh, I suppose that's true. Thanks."

"You're very welcome," Fiora replied lovingly. "Now hurry up so you can join us downstairs."

"Right."

With that, the two leaned in for a rather late good morning kiss. Once they parted, Fiora left to rejoin the others in the kitchen and Sain continued getting dressed. He hurriedly changed out of the rest of his nightwear into some everyday clothes and donned his usual headband. Sain had grown so used to wearing it that it had become force of habit for him to put it on every day, even when he wasn't planning on doing any training or mercenary work. Fiora never minded, however. In fact, she thought it made Sain look more handsome than he already was.

Once Sain was fully dressed, he quickly headed downstairs to join his family and Kent for another breakfast. This time, there wasn't as much to talk about as the morning before since they'd already caught up with Kent. Sain would've mentioned his nightmare to him right then, only he couldn't discuss it in front of Fiora or the kids for obvious reasons. Fiora wouldn't like him talking about having nightmares around Nick or Emily anyway. Once everyone finished and cleaned up their dishes, Sain pulled Kent aside in the hallway while the others headed out back.

"Kent, I need to talk to you for a second," Sain spoke up. "It's important."

"Oh? What's the matter?" Kent wondered.

"There was another reason Fiora let me sleep, I think. I woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare about what you told me at the tavern."

"Really? So that's what she meant when you said you had a lot on your mind. But you didn't actually tell her what the dream was about?"

"I told her I didn't know how to explain it yet. But I know she's going to make me tell her eventually. This is Fiora we're talking about here."

"Yeah, I know. And I see. What happened in this nightmare?"

Sain then told Kent of the events from the nightmare as well as he could remember them. Though Fiora had managed to comfort him, it still made him more nervous than ever about how she and the kids would react for real once they were told of the mistake Sain's parents had made.

"…Wow," was all Kent could say. "That's…pretty terrible."

"Exactly! Kent, I need your help with this!" Sain pleaded. "I-I can't deal with this alone! Please don't leave me! Please!"

"Now why on earth would I do that? Sain, firstly, you need to remember that it was just a dream and dreams never make sense. You're my friend. And true friends don't abandon friends in their time of need. For any reason."

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Second, I highly doubt Fiora would just jump to conclusions like that and call you a liar. You of all people should know."

"Yeah, but I've never had to tell her something like this! And what of my kids? Emily always looked to me for support and comfort when she needed it and Fiora wasn't able to give it herself. And Nick looks up to me more than anyone. He sees Sain the famous Green Lance, not Sain the once cursed man that could've been anything from a jerk to a nobody if it weren't for it!"

"That's true, but I think you're overthinking this a little. Listen, I'll help you out as much as you need it. This I can assure you of. But the others are waiting outside so I can spar a little with Nick. He asked me if we could after we finished eating."

"Oh! Then let's go. I don't want to keep them waiting more than they need to. Can we talk more later?"

"Of course. In fact, let's go out riding after the spar. We'll be able to discuss this further without the others possibly overhearing us."

"Ah, great idea. Thank you so much, Kent. This means a lot to me."

Kent shot Sain a smile before replying.

"Like I said yesterday, what are friends for?"

With that, the two joined Fiora and the kids outside. Nick had already donned the headband Sain had given him and was practicing his swings with his wooden practice sword. Fiora warned him and Kent not to get too rough because doing a lot of moving around on full stomachs could make them nauseous. Sain added that this was true because he'd learned it the hard way. He once did some serious training after eating a rather large lunch, and ended up vomiting later. Both Nick and Kent definitely decided to take Fiora's advice and took their positions in front of their spectators.

Kent, of course, went easy on Nick since the boy was still a beginner. He also taught him a few of his own techniques as they sparred to further Nick's training. Nick decided that if he mastered the combined skills of both Sain and Kent, he'd be the greatest knight that ever lived. Both men merely chuckled, though they also decided it was certainly possible.

"Say, that reminds me," Kent spoke up after. "Nick, did your dad ever tell you about our strongest and most famous technique?"

"Oh, um…" Nick contemplated. "Ah, you mean that combination attack! Dad called it the Cross Strike, I think."

"That's right," Sain confirmed. "Kent and I are most well-known for forming such a genius move. It's magnificent and always thought I looked great doing it! It even got the ladies' attention. Hehe."

"Actually, that is true," Kent added, noticing Fiora rolling her eyes. "Sometimes we found ourselves being surrounded by several women from the area that we were protecting and they'd admire our skills…and our looks."

"Oh goodness," Fiora commented with a giggle. "Sain must've had a ball."

"I sure did!" Sain confirmed. "In fact, two girls pecked my cheeks at the same time and I was so overwhelmed with joy that I fainted. Ah, I have such fond memories of the past with my dear friend Kent!"

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that," Kent realized with a punchy smile. "I had to carry you and lead your horse all the way back to the castle and practically shove a wash cloth in your face to get you to clean that lipstick off."

At this, Fiora, Nick, and Emily all burst into laughter. Sain's cheeks flushed a deep red.

"Hey! You were the one that made a big scene out of it!" he retorted with embarrassment. "Some of the other knights found us on the floor in one of the barracks bathrooms after you tackled me and thought we'd gotten drunk or something!"

"Heh, yeah, that was quite embarrassing," Kent admitted, scratching the back of his head. "But you could've just cooperated, you know."

"Well, I didn't want to," Sain replied, folding his arms. "It isn't every day you get kissed by two beautiful girls at the same time."

Fiora and the kids continued to laugh.

"You two are so entertaining, you know that?" she spoke up.

"Yeah, you did some really funny stuff!" Nick seconded, who was on the ground rolling by this time.

"You were so silly!" Emily added.

"Haha, yeah, I guess we were," Kent replied.

"Indeed, you've got me on that one," Sain conceded with a smile. "So Nick, would you like to actually see the Cross Strike?"

Nick instantly bolted to his feet upon hearing those words.

"Wow, would I ever!" he replied excitedly. "That would be awesome!"

"Yeah! I've always wanted to see it too, Daddy!" Emily seconded.

"Alright then! Shall we, Kent?" Sain asked his friend.

"It would be my pleasure," Kent agreed with a smile. "We have to go get our mounts first though."

"Right."

With that, the two headed over to the stable to saddle up their mounts. They didn't want to keep Nick and the others waiting, so they moved quickly. Once the horses were ready to go, Sain and Kent mounted them and rode back to the back yard. They then set up a wooden dummy in the middle of the area and Sain equipped himself with another wooden practice sword. Afterward, he and Kent positioned themselves on opposite sides of the yard, the east and west ends, but facing the dummy.

"Now Nick, just keep in mind that it's been years since Kent and I actually last performed this attack," Sain spoke up. "It probably won't be as great as it used to be."

"Oh, I know! But I'm sure it'll still be amazing!" Nick replied.

"Heh, I hope so. You ready, Kent?"

"Yep, ready when you are!" Kent confirmed.

"Alright then! Here goes!" Sain announced.

He readied his practice sword while Kent did the same with his own. At once, the two charged towards the dummy as fast as their mounts would go. Within seconds, they approached the wooden obstacle and as they did so, they struck it with the swords at the exact same time. Once Sain and Kent were at the ends of the yard opposite to where they had started, they steered their mounts into a curve until they faced one another again, only they were at the north and south sides of the yard. But they didn't stop there. Sain and Kent charged towards the dummy once more and repeated what they had done during the first charge. The dummy was cut down as a result, its pieces falling to the snowy ground below.

"WOW!" Nick shouted as he jumped up and down. "That was wicked cool! I see why you call it the Cross Strike!"

"I thought you'd say that!" Sain happily replied. "I'm glad I still have my touch."

"Same with me," Kent added. "Sure, we could practice charging at things all day by ourselves, but this attack isn't the Cross Strike if we're not doing it together and in perfect sync. It's named such because not only are we moving in a cross formation, but our sword swings form a cross shape as we attack as well."

"In addition to that, we don't even normally start sitting so far away from one another," Sain continued. "We actually are side by side most of the time when we begin, just facing opposite directions. This is so we can initiate the attack if we're surrounded by enemies. It's what made the move so famous."

"Wow, that is so clever!" Nick complimented. "I really do have an awesome dad and a second awesome hero!"

"Yeah! What Nick said!" Emily seconded.

"Aw, shucks," Sain replied with a goofy smile. "But that's us! Ready for anything!"

"Well, you can definitely count on your dad and I to always be there for you," Kent proclaimed with an assuring grin.

"Oh, I wouldn't have thought anything else!" Nick agreed.

"And maybe someday, when Nick and I both know how to battle, we can learn the Cross Strike!" Emily added.

"Ah, not a bad plan!" Sain commented. "We could definitely teach you when you're older. Right, Kent?"

"Oh, certainly," Kent happily agreed.

"Hey, yeah, that's a great idea, Em!" Nick replied. "I say we go for it!"

"Oh, yay!" Emily cheered, jumping up and down.

For the next half an hour, Kent and Nick sparred some more, with Sain also coaching his son in the process. Kent was impressed with how well Nick had been learning from Sain regardless, however, and was more than happy to continue lending a hand. Both knights taught him techniques for dodging attacks, though avoiding being hit wouldn't be as easy while on horseback. Since Kent was quicker than Sain, though, Nick had a tougher time coming even close to landing a single blow. Kent explained that while Sain no doubt taught Nick that he has to watch his opponent's every move and that they could be unpredictable, a warrior also needs to learn to read said opponent. Sometimes one might just pick up a pattern or two in the opponent's attacks. However, doing such could take a lot of practice. Nick understood this and promised to remember it.

Eventually, Nick grew worn out and both he and Kent agreed to call it a match. Kent was getting somewhat exhausted himself as well, plus he had promised to go riding with Sain. The two then relayed the plan to Fiora, who of course was absolutely fine with it. Nick, however, protested.

"Dad, wait…" he said.

"Oh? What's the matter?" Sain wondered after he and Kent had remounted their horses.

"Well…I had fun sparring with Kent and all, but I'm still nervous cause of the bad dream I had last night. I just want to know everything will be okay for sure. Or maybe I could go with you?"

"Hmm…" Sain contemplated. "I'd let you come, but I kind of wanted to talk to Kent privately for a bit. We won't be gone for long, though, and I promise we'll take you next time. How does that sound?"

"Oh… Well, okay then. I just want you both to be careful!"

"We will, don't worry."

"Okay. I'm sorry, Dad, I just can't help being so scared…"

"Hey, I understand completely." _And I know exactly how you feel too._

"You know, I have an idea," Fiora spoke up. "Nick, why don't you and Emily go to Ajay and Ashelle's? You two always enjoy playing with your friends and I bet they can cheer you up. Marianne would gladly give you support as well. And you walk there all the time since it's only two streets down from here."

Ajay and Ashelle, fraternal twin siblings, were Nick and Emily's best friends. Marianne was their mother. Their father, Phillip, or Phil for short, sometimes partnered up with Sain to do jobs. They considered one another friends, though Phil expressed a little envy towards Sain's fame. Yet, he was also known to brag occasionally about how he got to work with the Green Lance as much as he did.

"Ah, that's an excellent idea," Sain commented. "It ought to make you feel much better, Nick."

"Yeah, that sounds good to me!" Nick agreed.

"Oh, I'd love to go!" Emily seconded. "I always miss Ashelle!"

"Great! I'm glad. Kent and I can let them know you're coming too," Sain offered. "Or would you rather us bring you there ourselves?"

"Oh, you can just ride ahead, Dad," Nick replied. "We always take a secret path that we know is safe."

"Very true. Just make sure you both stick together as always."

"Right!"

"Also, one more thing."

Sain dismounted Goldie for a moment and kneeled to his son' s level.

"Nick, I want you to remember something for me," he began. "I know you're scared of that nightmare and what had happened at the well, and I don't blame you. But if you face your fears and stand up to them, you might find that a little courage can come a long way. And when you and Emily are by yourselves, it's up to you to be the big brother and be there for her when she needs it. You understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Dad," Nick replied with a smile. "I won't ever forget."

"Sain, those words were excellent," Fiora complimented. "I'm proud of you both."

"Aw…" Sain bashfully responded as he stood up again. "Well, we'll get going now, hun."

Sain then approached Fiora and leaned in to kiss her goodbye. Fiora happily returned the gesture.

"Ride safely, of course," she said.

"As always."

With that, Sain remounted Goldie and he and Kent spurred the horses into a trot. They traveled down the road until turning a corner in order to reach the street where Ajay and Ashelle lived. Sain still had his own troubles on his mind, however, and hoped he could hide his emotions from Marianne and Phil. Though, seeing how they were doing was appealing. Sain hadn't needed to partner with Phil in several days and never saw much of him or his wife in that time due to other work on both ends. What's more, Marianne was a mage and florist and enjoyed her profession just as much as her husband did his. Marianne had to import many flowers since the cold weather of Ilia wasn't suitable for growing any in, but the few she did grow herself were planted in pots inside a small glass building in her backyard. She heated it with candles and lanterns.

Sain's thoughts were interrupted, however, when Kent spoke up.

"Say, Sain," he said. "You'd probably do well to follow your own advice."

"…Huh?" Sain replied, only paying half attention. "Oh, what do you mean?"

"What you told Nick just before we left. About courage and facing your fears?"

"Oh, that. Well, I want to say you might be right…"

"I _am_ right. Your situation is hardly different. You're afraid of a nightmare and certain events relating to it happening, just as your son is."

"Yeah, but… I have a much bigger problem than he does. Nick is afraid of something that a lot of kids get scared of. Me, I have to worry about possibly losing my whole family because of a terrible mistake my parents made!"

"That's true, but I still think what you said should apply. How about we talk more after we're done with our little errand here? I wouldn't want your friends to accidentally get involved."

"Alright, good idea."

With that, the two continued on to their destination, which was right down the next street. It was built of the same material as Sain's home, but had a somewhat different design. The two dismounted the horses and approached the front door. Sain knocked and soon, they were greeted by Marianne herself. She was a somewhat plump woman with purple hair and wearing a white flowered dress, befitting her profession. Phil appeared soon after, and he reminded Kent a lot of Lord Hector, at least build-wise. He was a rather hunky man with dark brown hair and a slightly tattered dark red tunic. He carried a sword at his side and wore a burnt orange shoulder guard on his left shoulder. Sain introduced Kent after the greeting, and Phil was most enthusiastic to learn of his identity.

"Kent? You mean the famous Crimson Shield and steward of Caelin?" he said, his mouth dropping open and shaking Kent's hand. "Why, I am greatly honored to meet you! I've heard so many tales of your prowess alongside Sain!"

"Oh, why thank you," Kent replied with abashment. "I do try my best."

"Who'd have thought we'd get to meet you someday?" Marianne wondered. "It truly is a pleasure, Sir Kent!"

"Ah, same here."

"So, my friend, what brings you here?" Phil inquired after turning his attention to Sain.

"Oh, Nick and Emily are going to come by to see Ajay and Ashelle," Sain replied. "See, there was some trouble the other day that gave Nick a nightmare last night and we think he'd feel better if he got to spend some good quality time with his friends."

"Oh my, the poor dear," Marianne commented. "Of course he and Emily can come by! No child deserves to be traumatized or plagued with nightmares."

"Yeah, we'll help in any way we can if you need it!" Phil added. "You're a buddy and that's what we mercenaries do! It's our job to protect our friends and families and the locals! …Well, for a fee on that last one, but still!"

"That is true! And I know I can count on you if anything were to happen," Sain replied with a smile.

"That's right! Nobody around here is getting bothered on my watch! If any lowlife tries something so foolish, they'll be rewarded with my sword up their arse!"

"Exactly what I like to hear! Now, we must be on our way. Kent's only visiting, so we're going to go riding for a while."

"Well, okey dokey then! We'll keep an ear and eye out for your kids."

"And you know I'll be watching them every minute when they get here," Marianne added. "It only takes a few seconds for something awful to happen."

"Right," Sain replied with a smile. "Well, we'll see you later!"

"Take care," Marianne commented, returning the gesture.

With that, both she and Phil waved goodbye as the two knights returned to their mounts and continued on their way.

"Wow, he's certainly enthusiastic," Kent commented as they rode.

"Haha, yeah, Phil's like that," Sain replied. "He's got a good head on his shoulders though."

"He seems like it."

"Yeah. And Marianne can be a _little_ overprotective at times, but she's very sweet. Phil's a lucky guy to have her."

"Heh, I bet. So, about your nightmare again."

"Ah, yes… Kent, as much as I'd like to take my own advice like you say, I just find it so difficult. I don't know how to explain any of this at all."

"That's why I'm here to help. And as I said before, I won't ever abandon you, no matter what happens."

"Oh, I know that now, but…even if Fiora and the kids don't decide to leave me, what if her parents still get angry? Surely Fiora won't let me keep something like this a secret from them and if our parents become at odds with each other, we'd be caught in the middle of a big fued. And what's worse, knowing Fiora's parents, they'll start spreading lies about me and my reputation would be ruined!"

"Hmm… That is indeed a possibility. We'll just have to do our best to convince them that your own parents aren't terrible people and that you're not a freak or anything."

"I'm afraid that's much easier said than done. But if you're present, that could really help. If Fiora's parents know I'm friends with good people, they have to admit I'm still a good guy and that my parents raised me well.

"True, my presence can definitely make things easier. And as I said, that's why I'm here. Now as for how we ought to explain this along with the nightmare, that's going to take some thinking."

"You're telling me…"

"But to be honest Sain, I think you're being a little too paranoid when it comes to Fiora and the kids. I really doubt they're just going to up and leave you like that, especially for a mistake your parents made. Look at what you've done for them in the past twelve years."

"Well…"

"And Fiora told me all about how great a husband and father you've been."

"…She did?"

"Yeah, it was last night while you were comforting Nick. She went on about how hard you worked and how well you took care of your family. Everything. She's so in love with you and your kids love you so much, I don't think anything could make them leave you."

"That really warms my heart… But what I wonder is if it's really me they love and not the "fake" my parents ended up with."

"Well, you know my answer is clear."

"Yeah, and I pray that you're right. But as I said, even if you are, Fiora's parents could be another story entirely."

"Alas, indeed…"

Time passed as Sain and Kent continued discussing the matter. They had decided that the only place to start with the explanation was the beginning. But where was the beginning, exactly? Was it the nightmare, or Kent having received his letter from Sain's parents? Or maybe it could even be Sain simply saying "I found out my parents were carrying a dark secret." Whichever it was, Kent advised his friend to remain calm and not panic. If he became too nervous, Fiora and the kids could begin to worry more than they should to and that was the last thing Sain needed. Kent also said he ought to be as clear as possible so no one misinterpreted anything. Sain was still unsure of himself on how it would turn out, but all he could do at this point was worry about it when the time came. And Kent agreed that they'd tell the others when Sain felt ready enough to do so.

As they rode on through town, the two friends' conversation eventually strayed to other topics, mainly events from the past. They talked of battles they fought together, their time as squires, the war from twelve years before, and more. Sain was enjoying the conversation so much that he had forgotten about being nervous, which had actually been Kent's intent. He didn't want to see his best friend worried all the time, especially while Kent was supposed to be on vacation with him. More than two hours passed and Sain himself was glad he could cheer up as well. The topic soon went to Fiora's talk with Kent the previous night.

"You know, I really had no idea Fiora thought so highly of me," Sain admitted. "I mean, I know I work hard and all, but those times I worried her crazy by making myself ill… I thought maybe I'd been taking things too far. She does keep reminding me not to overwork myself."

"Nooo, don't be ridiculous," Kent protested. "Nobody's perfect, you know. And as far as I've seen, I have to agree with her. You really are a fine husband to Fiora and father to your kids. You've done better than I ever expected, I can tell you that."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Sain decided with a grin. "You know, it's so ironic how instead of you, I'm the one out of the two of us that got married and began raising a family."

"Oh shut up," Kent retorted, glaring to the side. "I…I just don't have time for women. My duties in Caelin keep me too busy."

"Sure. Kent, really, I know you. It's because of Lady Lyndis, isn't it? You're still torn up about her choosing Lord Hector over you. You know I know how much you loved her."

Kent's gaze then strayed to his saddle and a tear trickled down his cheek. He sniffled before speaking again.

"…Well…I guess it's true. I kept trying to convince myself that I was over those feelings. But I'm not… I loved Lyn and I still do, yet I know I can never have her. Sain, the truth is…I always wished I was more like you when it came to these situations. Whenever a woman turned you down, you didn't mope about it, you kept going. You never gave up on the idea of finding true love. And you won Fiora's heart. But me? I…I'm too damn sensitive! I mean, just look at me!"

More tears trailed down Kent's face as an old wound was ripped open.

"…Oh. I guess we both have troubles lately," Sain realized. "I'm really sorry I brought this up. But don't talk about yourself like that. You did your best. And I'm sure it was a very tough choice for Lady Lyndis to make. Although…I was…rooting for you. And in all honesty, I expected you to get married before I did for obvious reasons. From the moment I figured out you'd fallen in love with Lady Lyndis, though, I realized how great it would be if we both settled down someday to raise families, yet still remain good friends. So I continued striving for it."

"Sain…"

"I'm serious, Kent. The idea of both of us with wives and our own children to raise…and then allowing the kids to meet and play together… It sounded amazing."

"Yeah… It certainly does. But Nick is already ten isn't he? And Emily is eight if I recall correctly."

"That may be so, but you still have time. You're a magnificent guy, one I can't imagine many nice and pretty girls not falling for. And I believe your future wife is out there somewhere. I've always believed it. And I want you to go get her!"

Kent's frown then turned upside down as he sniffled again.

"Sain… Thank you," he said. "I will!"

"That's my best buddy!"

Before either of them could say anything else, some bells rang out from another part of town. They chimed twelve times, signaling that it was noon.

"…Damn! It's noon already?!" Sain realized. "We've been out too long!"

"Shoot, I'm so sorry! I got too carried away, didn't I?" Kent apologized.

"No, it's not your fault, I was distracted too. Let's hurry back to the house before Fiora decides to have my head."

"Right."

With that, the two directed their mounts to turn around and head in the direction of Sain's home. Hopefully Fiora wouldn't mind them being a _little_ late coming back simply due to having such a good time. And maybe by the time they arrived, Sain would be ready to reveal the secret his parents had been keeping. He'd have to wait for Nick and Emily to get home though, as he knew revealing it to them separately would be a terrible idea. Still, it would give him time to prepare a little more and eat lunch first. He definitely didn't want to go into such a long and troublesome story on an empty stomach. And this notion made him wonder what delicious meal Fiora might have in mind this time.

Sain and Kent weren't much further than halfway home when a rumbling noise echoed from somewhere not far outside of town, causing them to stop for a moment.

"What the—? Damn it, not again…" Sain grumbled in frustration.

"Was that an avalanche?" Kent inquired with surprise.

"Yeah, and the third one that's happened here this week. I don't know why, but a gut feeling tells me that this isn't natural."

"Why's that? We _are_ in a snowy area at the foot of some mountains."

"Yeah, but for avalanches to occur this frequently and when there isn't a lot of wind or noise up there? Something isn't right here."

"If that's true, then I agree. How about we investigate after getting some lunch?"

"What? No way. You're on vacation, Kent. I should go by myself."

"Sain, are you crazy? You're a skilled warrior, but I'm not going to just ignore trouble, especially if it involves my friends. Even if I'm supposed to be relaxing. Plus, it always helps to have backup."

"…Well, when you put it that way, you do have a point. Alright."

"Thank you."

With that, the two hurried the rest of the way back to the house, eager to relay their next plan to Fiora. Sain could easily predict her insisting that the two get some of the local militia or Phil to help them, but he didn't want to cause the town to needlessly panic. If the problem could be solved before anything really serious happened, then there was no point in spreading any news of danger. Sain only hoped that this would actually happen. If the avalanches continued long enough at the rate they were occurring, the entire town could end up buried in snow. Everyone would have to flee from their homes and it would take days to remove all of the snow, if such a feat was even possible. And if it wasn't, the people would have to migrate to another town, or even across the border, with little food, money, clothing, and all their belongings lost. And such a situation would potentially be fatal.

Only a short time passed when Sain and Kent finally came in view of the house. They were about to make way for the stable when they noticed Fiora standing outside near the house's front door, frantically glancing around and looking frightened. Sain hardly expected her to be that worried about him and Kent. …Or had something else happened? Sain and Kent quickly directed their horses towards Fiora, and she soon spotted the two as well, running over to them afterward. Her face was flushed red and she looked like she had been crying…and actually still was. Sain and Kent dismounted as soon as they brought their horses to a halt.

"Oh, Sain! Kent! Thank goodness you two are back!" Fiora cried as she buried herself in Sain's torso.

"Fiora! What's the matter? You weren't really this worried about us, were you?" Sain wondered.

"Yeah, is everything alright?" Kent added.

"No, something terrible has happened!" Fiora replied with a sniffle. "Marianne was just here a little while ago. Nick and Emily never showed up!"

"What?!" Sain gasped. "You can't be serious!"

Kent gaped in fear at Fiora's words.

"Are you sure? When did they leave?" he inquired.

"Just a few minutes after you two did," Fiora replied. "Marianne said she, Phil, and the twins waited all that time, but never saw a trace of Nick or Emily! Marianne then came and told me that something was wrong. Oh, I'm so afraid!"

Fiora buried her face in Sain's chest, tears trailing down her face. Sain took his wife into his arms to comfort her.

"Fiora, don't worry, Kent and I will get to the bottom of this," he assured. "You can count on it."

"That's right, we'll find the kids," Kent seconded. "We won't stop searching until we do."

"Oh, thank you both… Just please hurry," Fiora pleaded.

"Of course," Sain promised. "You stay here in case the kids come back."

Fiora nodded and with that, he and Kent remounted their horses and rode off once more. Sain led Kent to the path Nick and Emily normally took to get to their friends' home, which was a snaking trail around several homes. It sloped in areas as well since it was the foothills of the nearby mountains. Much to their disdain, there was no sign of either child, and many of their footprints in the snow had been brushed over by wind or more snow and footprints. It was as if Nick and Emily had simply vanished into thin air.

"Oh no…" Sain uttered to himself with a grimace. "My kids… They really are gone…"

"This is madness," Kent commented. "I hate to say it, but I've a feeling they were snatched. And if this is the case, then whoever's responsible will be punished."

"I'll tear the rotten scum limb for limb!" Sain threatened.

"I'm with you, but we're going to need some help. Let's report this to the militia headquarters. They should send out a search party or two."

"Right. We can probably get Phil to lend a hand afterward as well."

"Sounds good. Let's hurry!"

With that, Sain and Kent spurred their horses into a gallop and made for the militia headquarters in another part of town. Sain wondered how Nick and Emily could've possibly been kidnapped from the path that he and Fiora had thought only people living nearby it knew of. All he could think of was that somehow, the wrong person or people gained knowledge of it. And the only kinds of people around Ilia that Sain knew would sink so low as to kidnap a child were bandits. But what would they want with his kids? Any ruffians Sain encountered wound up dead in a matter of seconds. But if this wasn't a kidnapping case, then what _had_ happened? Sain's mind now completely puzzled and filled with fear, he could only hope that he and Kent would find the answer soon…before it was too late.

**Author's Note: NOW things are really heating up, huh? What has happened to Sain's kids? And how is their disappearance connected with the mysterious avalanches? We'll find out soon enough…**


End file.
